Advice please........

[Cornish Pixie]

Hi everyone
Ive had my lottie for 12 months now and it is in need of a good digging over, but the last few months Ive been sick with one thing after the other, now I cant lift heavy bags of muck around ! Im hoping to get up to the lottie over the next few weeks to at least do a little digging but dont know what to use instead of manure to feed the soil! Would chicken pellets be ok?
Help please.....

[jacob marley]

There should be no problem with chicken pellets i mix it with Groworganic but should work perfectly on it 's own what i do is mix the ingredient's in a bucket then put them into smaller container's for carring about the plot this might help you good luck i hope thing's go well..jacob

[Cornish Pixie]

Thanks Jacob, will give it a try....should I sprinkle now or wait till spring? Oh and sooo many weeds lots to be done!!!

[jacob marley]

I would wait until spring just before you plant about 2 weeks and that should be ok.. jacob

[maytreefrannie]

Would it be a good idea to cover with cardboard to keep the weeds down until Spring?

Also, Cornish Pixie, what about no-digging gardening? I'm thinkig it might suit when someone isn't feeling up to heavy digging.

For the cardboard - I've just got a few really big boxes - does it matter if one side is coloured?

[snohare]

I have the same problem Cornishpixie, and my quick and dirty solution is always to cover the ground with something, then hope I will be able to come back when healthier and rake over the soil underneath ! I have old builder's DPM (dampproof membrane - black plastic to you and me) and I also use mulch matting, newspapers (don't last long) and cardboard. With cardboard supposedly the advice from WRAP is that you should remove any tape or staples holding it together, and if it is glossy or brightly coloured forget it, it has potentially toxic inks.
This is my first full winter at my allotment so I cannot really speak long term, but to judge by this summer, covering the weeds for a couple of months at least leaves nothing but the biggest ones alive, all pale and straggly, easier to kill with judicious use of salted water, vinegar or simple physical removal. The downside is that covering the soil over winter may help harbour nasty beasties - might be a good idea to leave the covers off for a wee while every so often, let the birds in about ?
Stuck for manure last year, I used the pellets, they worked a treat raked into the top few inches once the soil was ready for planting. But really only good for nitrogen, not so good for other nutrients, not recommended for root crops really I think because it can promote leaf growth at the expense of roots.

[Birdie Wife]

Blood and bone meal is a good general fertiliser, it's got nutrients that work straight away and slow release ones too. I would dig it over and make sure you've got rid of as many weeds as you can 'cos othersie you'll just be feeding the weeds !

[Matt.]

If possible stick with the muck you used to use. Its not only probably cheaper but much better than alternatives because of the sheer volume of organic matter. Is it not possible to use smaller bags or get help from others to depositing bags at different parts of your allotment?

I've used chicken pellets before and blood fish and bone. They do nothing for improving the texture of the soil.

[Cornish Pixie]

Thanks for all the advice. The soil structure is quite soft and not too bad really just a bit stoney! The person who had it before me covered it during winter, she only had it for one year, I can see no benifit from her covering as the weeds have just come back!! The site is very windy and I think cardboard will just be another thing for me to worry about!!

[Snadger]

Some interesting reading for you..........and good advice!

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ment_5573.html

[Two_Sheds]

I can see no benifit from ...covering as the weeds have just come back!

well, they will do, as new seeds are always flying in from all around.
By covering (mulching) the ground you will stop a lot of those already in the soil from germinating (lack of light).
You then uncover your soil when you plant your veggies.

I mulched with the Times this year ... it worked really, really well. You have to "peg" it down a bit with some soil, but it did wonders for reducing the weeding.
And the newspaper breaks down harmlessly into the soil eventually.

[susieq100]

Mulching with the Times

Do you get better results than with the Sun or the Mirror?

[Snadger]

Do you get better results than with the Sun or the Mirror?

More to the point...........the Times is a 'heavy' paper so you shouldn't need to weight it down so much!