seaweed collected from the beach

[eastkentspur]

anyone else use it on their plot?

[Reb Williams]

Never been so lucky as to be that close to the sea : ( but have seen others use it and they just dig it straight in once the rain has washed off the majority of the salt. Good stuff for minerals and body. Wish we had some.

Reb
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[oliveoyl]

I've never used it, but I will if I find some. They use seaweed on the fields to grow Jersey Royal potatoes (yum!).

[di]

We've added several bagfulls to the compost...didn't know you could just dig it in?

[Jillyreeves]

Considering how far I live from the coast I am please to say I have used it this year. Added a couple of bags to a water butt and used it to water established plants then a few months later removed it from the butt and added it to the compost bin.

[Two_Sheds]

I've not used it yet which is shameful because I live about 15 minutes from the coast.

I never have either, and I'm barely 5 mins from the beach !

[annacruachan]

I am lucky enough to be able to walk onto the beach from the garden and use seaweed all the time. I mulch with it, put it at the bottom of every pot and fishbox I use to grow in, 'earth up' potatoes and leeks with it, put it in the compost bin and cover all bare earth with it for the winter. It's a wonderful resource, easy to use, doesn't weigh a ton and doesn't smell! I use manure from time to time to boost the compost bins - collected from the road after the cattle have been by! Of course, the other huge advantage of seaweed is that it costs nothing.

[basketcase]

Is there a problem taking seaweed without permission, though?

I know round here they're none to pleased if you take pebbles or sand!

[Two_Sheds]

^ because that leads to erosion, but seaweed would just rot if left (above high tideline) on the beach, so take it.

[kenco]

seaweed compost

I do remember my Father collecting kelp from the beach at Seaton Carew after the Autumn storms, you had to be very quick as most seaside gardeners knew the tremendous value of this free manure. He used to cut up the long thick stalks into small pieces with a sharp knife and added this to his home made liquid manure bucket. He claimed it was nitrogen rich and excellent for vegetables especially in weak soil.
I do remember the smell, a very fishy odour.
His veg used to win many awards at the local garden show.
I am a strong believer in the principle that using your own home made compost returns rich tasty vegetables.

[basketcase]

^ because that leads to erosion, but seaweed would just rot if left (above high tideline) on the beach, so take it.

Thought that was probably it - just checking !

[Dynamo]

I've been to the local beach a few times to get some bags of the stuff. I put mine in the compost bins to let it help degrade the other stuff I put in there. I know I could put it straight onto the soil, but I'd rather keep it until I'm ready to dig it in along with whatever else has been mixed in the bins.

[Tori]

Off to the seaside . . . .