Who makes their own tomato feed?

[Florence Fennel]

Thanks Flo... do you grow it in a container or open ground. Like you I grow in my back garden in a mixture of tubs and ground.

It's in it's own little patch beside the daleks, but I guess you could grow it in a large container, it's quite a compact plant. I would say my one plant takes up a 2' square and I chop it when it gets to about 2' high. Glad no-one can see me faffing about with this imaginary ruler!

[Kristen]

Comfrey? Never grown that, Flo... How do you grow it?

Thanks Flo... do you grow it in a container or open ground.

My recommendation is that you make sure you get the Bocking 14 variety - that is sterile, otherwise it will seed itself everywhere - I bought a packet of seed originally, and added some "leaves" to the compost heap, and I now have Comfrey springing up all over the garden Plenty of the Old Boys down your nearest allotment will have a patch on the go, find someone willing who'll let you have a couple of bits of root - it strikes easily, so that should be all you need

It needs to be in the ground though, it has a very deep root and that is what sucks up the nutrients from deep in the ground.

[Two_Sheds]

Everything I grow is fed with comfrey, either liquid or chopped leaves as a mulch. My plot produces more food than we can eat

[arpoet]

Thanks one and all. I have ordered 3 bare rooted plants from flee bay.

[arpoet]

Many thanks ... my 3 roots came last Friday and they are planted and, following the weekend rain, they seem to be doing ok.

[Noosner]

A p.s. about human pee. Sounded interesting so I just looked it up and seems it is nitrogen rich rather than the other minerals, so good to use to promote leaf growth, not so much when plants are fruiting.

[arpoet]

A p.s. about human pee. Sounded interesting so I just looked it up and seems it is nitrogen rich rather than the other minerals, so good to use to promote leaf growth, not so much when plants are fruiting.

Next year I will have to remember to stand on steps then and infuse it directly into my tub of comfrey tea.
Hope nobody sees me.....

[Kristen]

A p.s. about human pee. Sounded interesting so I just looked it up and seems it is nitrogen rich rather than the other minerals, so good to use to promote leaf growth, not so much when plants are fruiting.

Yes. I use pee to accelerate the compost heap, and for things like Bamboo and Bananas that are heavy nitrogen users. I don't use it direct (neat nor watered down) on the vegetable path, but if you do it is advisable not to allow it to splash on the leaves, and not to use it on root crops. Seriously Belt & Braces as clearly in not terribly Olden Times the vegetables would have been very healthy, being grown on Night Soil, but being "Modern Day Careful" avoids some potential pathogens, albeit that they are as rare as Hens' Teeth.

[Two_Sheds]

human pee. ... is nitrogen rich

Yes, it's got more nitrogen than the other two (P and K)

"A family of four can produce the equivalent of a 50kg bag of NPK fertilizer from urine every year"

"yearly values of the nutrients are:

3.5kg of nitrogen
0.5kg phosphorus
1.0kg potassium"

and to think we pay money to flush it into our drinking water

Urine: Closing the NPK Loop - PermacultureNews.org

[arpoet]

WOW TS... that's a great link. Thanks. Have bookmarked it and will read it in depth later.

Mods... Maybe we should have a "Members Recommended Useful Links" page added to the forums?

[skeggijon]

Yes. I use pee to accelerate the compost heap, and for things like Bamboo and Bananas that are heavy nitrogen users. I don't use it direct

Neither do I - find it hard to balance on top of the compost heap

[Noosner]

And here's one for the ladies... though a bucket in the shed would also be good:

Shewee - the original female urinating device