[Nufan182]

I am awaiting delivery of my plants from DT Browns as this is my first year growing and owning an allotment I did not get any seeds in of my own started in the greenhouse/seedbed (although I know that is not an excuse) I am also prepping my allotment ready to plant my winter veg.

I didn't put any manure in at the beginning of the year but have used Growmore when planting. I have had quite a bit of success with most things. I am now concerned that if I plant my winter veg without putting anything in the ground, the summer veg may have depleted the ground from any nutrients and I wouldn't want a wasted effort. Can anyone advise the best way to go regarding putting back nutrients into the soil? Should I manure now or wait until the end of the year, rough dig it and then spread manure then cover the areas until planting in the spring? Or can I continue with Growmore?

Nufan

[surbie100]

Hi Nufan,
Unless your ground is particularly awful, there will be something left in the soil so no manure is not a dire thing in my opinion. If it's brassicas you are planting then most of the books say you shouldn't manure shortly before planting anyway.

Growmore is nitrogen rich and would be perfectly fine to use. Pelleted chicken manure is also good.

If you have beds that you won't use till spring you can pop some manure on and leave the worms to do their thing till then, when you can dig it in.

Hope it goes well - you will most likely get some other ideas too - 3 gardeners= 4 or 5 opinions! 

[goodtogrow]

How about applying growmore once, at planting, and top dressing with manure, as a mulch?

The growmore's quick-release, and the manure slow, as a top dressing.

Just a thought.  Best wishes whatever you decide.

Tom

[compostqueen]

I prefer using natural materials such as muck, comfrey, borage, green manures, homemade compost, leafmould, spent hops etc etc to chemical feeds which I am too mean to buy. I'd rather just buy muck      I don't think dependence on Growmore and the like is good in the long run.  Short term it should be fine but it would be costly if that was all you used. Also you have to consider adding bulky organic material to your soil to give it some oomph and make it lovely and crumbly, which happens with successive applications of natural materials

[Nufan182]

Hi all,

surbie100 "3 gardeners= 4 or 5 opinions" That is for sure! I am a newbie so as much help/advice/tips as possible is very welcome indeed Thank you

goodtogrow - Thank you for your advice I will utilise Growmore for the remainder of the season and manure the remainder of the plot. Thank you for the luck, I need it.

compostqueen - I live in Canterbury and have just been given a handy little bin for all manner of household compostable material including raw and cooked meats?! (I don't know why our Council think we would buy meat to not eat! Even Cooked meat can be used in other meals and carcasses/bones utilised) This little bin is supposed to be put out weekly for collection, but guess where it is going instead. Needless to say, any meat, if any do not go in there?!

Would there be such a thing as adding too much manure to a plot? I assume this will have an effect on the pH of the soil. But is too much too bad?

Thank you for your advice, much appreciated.

Nufan

[dim]

many different opinions .....

my way is to buy a bag or 2 of Verve volcanic rock dust from B&Q .... (costs £5.98 per 10kg bag) ... it will supply over 75 minerals to the soil

get a few bags of worm humis (vermicompost) ..... google for your nearest hydroponic store near your home .... I pay £8 per 10kg bag .... much better than manure, and the best compost that you can use IMHO

spread that over your beds

also check with your local recycle centre .... In Cambridge, we can get as much soil conditioner as we want for free (from Ameycespa) .... it's the compost that they produce from the green/brown bins ..... it's ok as a soil conditioner, and it's free

[devonbarmygardener]

I keep meaning to plant green manures for spring but I haven't got around to it yet!
Only 2 years thinking about it...   

[arugula]

Now is a good time to sow green manure depending on which one you choose.

[devonbarmygardener]

If only I had some space to put it in!

[goodtogrow]

There you go, Nufan, lots of answers and suggestions.

I've also learned something from dim - thanks dim.

In answer to your question about applying too much manure - yes, er.. and no.  There are more warped answers than straight ones in gardening!

You raise some interesting points.  I have neighbours who actually pay the Council extra to take away their grass cuttings!  Or rather they did.  I take it away for free now.  But I'm looking at charging - it's a service like any other.

Let me commend you for the spirit and camaraderie of your posts.

Best wishes

Tom

[compostqueen]

That bin for putting meat in to compost will have cost loads so lucky you.  They're called Joanna's or some such thing.  Like you say though who has meat left over 

I had a fab turnout of homemade compost yesterday and was gloating like a mad woman at what I'd made from nothing kitchen scraps and hen poo.  I urged my husband to sniff of it deeply to appreciate it not smelling of anything. He did so just to please me    The more compost you can make yourself the less you buy 

[maxie]

A good dosing of cow/horse/chicken muck on the ground every year only does good in my book.I used to buy about five ton of cow muck for £20 every year but i am using composted chicken for this years.

[compostqueen]

I kept all the sweepings from my hen coops and stored it all in builders rubble sacks. I've been growing on it for two seasons and have just emptied the lot out into my new raised beds and sowed seeds in it. 

[arugula]

If only I had some space to put it in!

Ah! After your potatoes?

[maxie]

I kept all the sweepings from my hen coops and stored it all in builders rubble sacks. I've been growing on it for two seasons and have just emptied the lot out into my new raised beds and sowed seeds in it.

Haha theyll be turbocharged them seeds compostqueen