The X Factor
A Farmer friend of mine is constantly talking manure, always going on about his special reserve of chicken dung and how his dahlias have never been so big.
Of coarse he is more than willing to part with his supply of well-rotted vintage cow dung, for a small fee of coarse and collect your self. But his special reserve is just that.
This got me thinking as to what really is the best way to improve the fertility of the vegetable plot or garden.
Generally it’s a case of you pays your money and you takes your choice, another factor is availability though my farmer friend purveys his wares from the farm gate half way up Swanaton rd, (other gates are available). For myself over the last few years I have been using composted green waste supplied in bulk from the green waste processor at the Mounts.
Composted green waste tends to be clean to handle and easy to transport in the trailer as it has been already composted it can be dug into the ground or applied as mulch.
Dung or farm yard Manure contains more nutrients and assists in feeding the micro organisms that already exist in the soil.
Composted green waste can also be obtained from community composting schemes such as the one in Stoke Fleming, you have to be a member and have to donate your garden waste to the community compost heap, but the return is black gold.
The other advantage is the smell, really there is non, so it wont upset one’s neighbour. The point being right manure, for the right place. Well-rotted farmyard manure should not smell. If it has not yet fully rooted down it can still be spread on vacant ground and left over the winter to continue Masticating, that’s the technical term.
Which reminds me of the time we built the show garden at the Hampton Court Flower show, we were in the final stage of completing the garden all of the hardscape was finished and had been scrubbed clean, (which reminds me of another story), all of the plants had arrived and were being set out, when the mulch material arrived. Five cubic meters of fresh mushroom compost, Years ago I used to obtain from the mushroom farm at Harpers hill in Totnes, and great stuff it was to, the only problem was the smell when fresh it had a high ammonia odder that tended to linger.
So as the lorry tipped it’s load next to our show garden, the pong attracted the attention of the Royal Horticultural Society Show Manager. Who in no uncertain terms stated that such a smell was not permissible on the RHS show ground? And it had to be removed immediately. So what were we to do, the lorry had departed and not a digger in site?
So after much placating from our project manager and the promise that the smell would lift now that it was in the open air we were permitted to carry on and finish the garden.
The main purpose of coarse is to add bulk organic matter to aid fertility and improve the soil structure to assist with moisture retention and make the earth to live.
The
Vegetable garden
- Here in the Southwest
we can get away with sowing over wintering broad beans in situ, cover the
trench with fleece or cloches to provide insulation from a possible cold
spell as well as protection from pigeons.
- Carrots and peas can
still be sown in cold frames, or in the poly tunnel.
- Plant out spring
cabbages if not already done. Remember to net them for protection from
those pesky pigeons. I’m sure that Dick Dastardly had the right idea.
- Finish planting
autumn onion sets for a crop in early to mid-summer next year.
- Plant garlic cloves.
Last year I obtained three different varieties from the Chap at the food festival
and all did well on an October planting.
For more gardening go to http://earthgardencareanddesign.moonfruit.com/
http://dartmouthgarden.blogspot.com/
