Growing veggies

Jessey said:
I have composted manure AND other green/brown waste since 2017, it's called manure when it is fresh. The middle of my old heap is black and loamy just like the compost that comes out of bags you buy and it is full of nutrients.
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I would like to do this but OH wont let me. We have only a tiny back yard garden. A penalty of London. That is why I had an allotment.
But the thing is Jessey, in about March you have to dig your patch with a spade and dig in the compost. It aerates the soil too.
And what comes up depends on the soil type - Is it clay or loam or sand etc and how well drained. My daughter has a sandy hill top garden a short walk from us and very little she grows ever does well.
 
chunky monkey said:
You can plant radish direct in the ground. There one that you thin out. But we don't just plant in a thin row.
All other stuff we put in pots to germinate.
I'm wondering about trying a courgette plant in the muck heap, to experiment if it grows better. But I won't be able to water it as it to far from the tap. Good to see if you can do in a muck heap without water. I know hours dries out in the top in the black gold stuff. I might try some butternut squash if they can be grown in a muck heap. Must look up. Water melon sounds good. Might have to look into that too.
@Trewsers those carrots look good. Garden carrots very rarely look like what you get in the shop. We only get small ones too, so we don't tend to grow them. Too much work for what you get. But by heck do them tiddlers taste good. Lovely carrot flavour.
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I've had lots of feedback today from people who grow in muck heaps in similar climates that they rarely need watering, just a little until the roots establish if its really dry, because the black gold retains enough water as only the top few inches dry out :)
 
Skib said:
I would like to do this but OH wont let me. We have only a tiny back yard garden. A penalty of London. That is why I had an allotment.
But the thing is Jessey, in about March you have to dig your patch with a spade and dig in the compost. It aerates the soil too.
And what comes up depends on the soil type - Is it clay or loam or sand etc and how well drained. My daughter has a sandy hill top garden a short walk from us and very little she grows ever does well.
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As the muck heap/compost pile is above ground so to speak it doesn't get dug into the soil (which here is a good thing because its pure sand and crap for growing anything as its virtually devoid of organic matter and any nutrients), you are basically planting into a fresh bed of the best compost so the plants that take most from the soil do fantastically. The fens close to us can grow root veg year after year because its almost endless black gold.
 
Don't worry about digging, lots of gardeners operate a no-dig regime now.

Your muck heap will be HEAVEN for potatoes, courgettes and squash. They'll go bonkers. If you can find a supplier you could try outdoor tomatoes and England-friendly sweet potatoes too - they will depend on the sun a bit.

Here's the website I buy my veggie seedlings from. I find seedlings as economical as seeds because generally they all survive! They're good organic plants.

I'm not so good with leafy greens because we are plagued with slugs. But I tell you what, if you planted a couple of rhubarb crowns I bet you would have prize-winning rhubarb in a year or two!

https://www.organicplants.co.uk
 
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Whilst rhubarb is lovely. I have it in my garden and does fantastic i strongly do not recommend planting near horses. It contains oxalic acid which is fatal to animals if they eat the leaves. It is a quick death and a very painful one. They can recover if they dont get too much but recovery is long and painful. Learned that one the hard way myself with my sheep.
 
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chunky monkey said:
Whilst rhubarb is lovely. I have it in my garden and does fantastic i strongly do not recommend planting near horses. It contains oxalic acid which is fatal to animals if they eat the leaves. It is a quick death and a very painful one. They can recover if they dont get too much but recovery is long and painful. Learned that one the hard way myself with my sheep.
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Good to know, I love rhubarb but with 2 naughty little ponies who will try anything once, I think that's best avoided!
 
Rhubarb leaves do the same to people don't they, I think from memory the stems too to some extent which is why you should never eat it raw.
 
Yes i think your right. Although ive got a feeling i heard somewhere that some people do eat raw but i think you can only do it at certain times of the year, maybe when the acid isnt so prolific.
Seriously though i wouldnt try it myself not after what i watched. Its a killer.
I think i shall just try throwing some stuff on my muck heap this year, and see if anything materialises. Although the bunnies have free access so i better not plant things they like. My garden veg plot is solidly fenced round so they cant get in at all. Youve inspired me to experiment.
 
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I set up some beds tonight, I'm looking forward to trying to grow some veggies though I fully expect my first year to be a bit of a flop :p
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Even if the veggies fail the boxes a removable and the compost will fertilise these barer patches :)
 
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The veggie plot is growing :)
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I've purposely put it in the middle of a poor patch of the field and used removable containment so that once I'm done for the year I can just lift the containers and Harrow the dirt into the grass :)
 
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I covered my plots last night. Got one more plastic sheet to go over and need to put some more weights on. Ive got some busted fence posts that we brought back from replacing last week. We were going to saw up for fire wood but i will nab them now instead to weight down the sheeting.
 
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Yep I've got old haylage bags on top as the black plastic is just like heavy duty cling flim and was getting in a right tangle without something to wrap around.
 
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Question for growing experts, should my propogators be getting steamy inside? Assuming not and that I need to ventilate?
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