Muck off...or on

[ginger ninger]

Dig a little pot ash in this is good for helping the fruit/veg grow strong, I'm sure I've just read that chicken poo in full of nitrogen which tends to make a lot of leaf growth...unless your a runner bean that is!!

[Jeanied]

I forgot to feed my aspargus bed as well, what should I put on it now if anything. thanks

I top dress my asparagus bed in spring - after hoicking out any weeds chancing their luck - I usually get a bag of good stuff from the garden centre - I think it is called blended manure and compost. This is also the stuff I plant my squashes in.

[trish60]

Give nothing to where the carrots /beetroot etc are growing!

Please can you tell me why you don`t feed carrots and beetroot.

[Jeanied]

Trish I think that manure makes the carrots fork so you don't get such a good straight root - not sure why beetroot but the rule of thumb is not to manure for root crops. I always have too little manure to go round so I save mine for the taters and squashes!
However I do give liquid feed when watering to everyone who looks like they could use it! Plants that is. Not the other lottie holders.

[rustylady]

I didn't get round to putting any manure on veg plots.

What exactly do you mean by manure? If you mean fresh animal poo it needs to be put on empty beds and given enough time to rot down. Growmore and BFB can be added and raked/hoed in shortly before planting or sowing.

[Rossa]

I'm using Alpaca poo this year and from everything I've read it's ok to go on "neat". Low in organic matter, so won't burn your plants, but higher in nutrients than most other farmyard manures. Mainly on potatoes, squashes, courgettes and tomatoes. Will use chicken poo for other roots though after reading others comments.

[pipscariad]

I have been applying (and still am) well rotted farm yard manure as I go along. Depends a lot on how well rotted it is I should think - mine is at least two years old and very dark and crumbly, so I'm lucky there. I'm just digging it in lightly as I prepare the beds for planting, leaving the roots bed without though. When I come to plant my courgettes and squash I'll stick it in the planting hole.

If your source of muck is still fresh I'd stick to chicken manure pellets as you've mentioned. (I have a compost bin full of chicken muck down at the plot, but I'm leaving this until next year, to rot down well.)