Compost onto plot

dammit, does that mean digging it in? id better warn OH then :-)

Quote

No, the free nitrogen in the compost will wash out over winter.

but can i ask LP? wash out where? they can only go downwards to my way of thinking!

It degrades into other chemical compounds no use as nutrients to plants.
Thats one of the points of artificial fertilisers such as Suphate of Ammonia. You sprinkle it on top and hoe it in, and three weeks later what hasnt been absorbed by plants has turned into other chemicals adn been washed further down into the soil. In Lincolnshire, at one stage in the 70's there was so much nitrogen compounds  being washed down into the water  table we had the highest levels of water borne nitrogen in the country.

I don't dig anything so I'd fluff it in with the end of the fork, if that.

I like the idea of covering the soil over winter, be it with manure, compost or even plastic sheet mulch. It keeps the soil in good nick over the winter and you can either then incorporate it or move it to one side and grow spuds in it.  

Then there's green manures but I digress  

To be honest, thats why I did it CQ, as a mulch really,  cant afford the plastic membrane stuff, Ive already covered two due to be beds with cardboard, and Ive also got some green manure to use on a smaller bed...Im going to see which one keeps the weeds down the most, as I can only get to the plot once a week tops at the mo, and even then only for three hours or so

Im not lazy, really! Just got a lot of college work to do!

Paula

I thought you meant me then til I scrolled back up  :oops:     Bit disappointed now    

I thought you meant me then til I scrolled back up  :oops:     Bit disappointed now    

It can be arranged.  

I found grass clippings a problem as they caused a slimy layer that absolutely stank.  But hopefully, with turning it a bit more that will not be a problem next time.

Grass cuttings should only be put on loose compost and then 3" or 7.5c/m.
I might get a dissagreement here when I say I put my grass cuttings  a  3" layer stright on the allotment where nothing is growing It helps to keep down the weeds and eventualy the worms sort it..

If I were a farmer with acres of land and my living depended on it I too would adopt the scientific approach.  But, I grow veg for pleasure and some health benefits both mentally and physically.  Analysing every last detail would suck all the joy out of what I do.

Too much information can be a dangerous thing.  It can also confuse the hell out of people.

Little old men with flat caps and whippets can be a mine of information on what grows best locally.

If I were a farmer with acres of land and my living depended on it I too would adopt the scientific approach.  But, I grow veg for pleasure and some health benefits both mentally and physically.  Analysing every last detail would suck all the joy out of what I do.

Ah but each to his own, thats the point. Do it however you feel happiest with. Personally, i like to know exactly why things happen and what should happen, and how to make it happen, and what happens if it doesnt happen, and why.