What do I feed my veg???

[Helenclare]

Hi, have read the thread with interest, just a quick question, I have small amounts of comfrey and nettles available. Could I make a tea using them both in the same bottle? I can't think of a reason why not but thought I would ask!
Many thanks

[Paulottie]

No reason why not in my view Helen. Avoid any seedheads...happy brewing

[LostthePlot]

Yesterday I opened my fermenting tub of nettle stew to use to water my compost heap - boy did it stink!! It even outsmelled the nearby heap of manure that had been freshly delivered. I just bunged it all on the compost heap, the nettles had melted down to nothing and I gave my heap a good stir and hoped for the best. I then got another bucketful on the go. As for comfrey I have got a little bit growing on my plot that was given to me in the winter by another plotholder but like others i harvest the wild Comfrey from the hedgerows, I think the wild stuff is called Russian Comfrey and is classed as a weed. I am harvesting my local patch like you would on the lottie. that is just taking a bit off each plant and not going back to the same one for a few weeks for any more.

[Fred Perry]

Smelly feed poured over your brasicas not only feeds through the leaves and ground but also stops the Cabbage white butterfly from laying eggs cos it dont like the smell, try it and watch what happens.
Fred P

[Lesley Jay]

Smelly feed poured over your brasicas not only feeds through the leaves and ground but also stops the Cabbage white butterfly from laying eggs cos it dont like the smell, try it and watch what happens.
Fred P

Doesn't smelly feed poured over brassicas make them taste awful when you eat them?

[Mr Gummidge]

I use a brew made from rhubarb leaves that have been left to stew in an old waterbutt to feed my brassicas. This stinks awful too and deters the cabbage white!!!! Haven't detected any adverse taste from my pickled red cabbage or brussels sprouts.

[goddess]

What an informative thread this is .thanks for great advise.Paul can you explain the seaweed stew?as i have bought a bag of the dried stuff from chinese shop and soaked it in water after r eading this on an american forum.it now loks sludgy and smells of sea and i used it once and think that my cut and come again loved it.can you please explain what did you do t it and how usefull is it.thanks.g

[Dobby]

I use a brew made from rhubarb leaves that have been left to stew in an old waterbutt to feed my brassicas. This stinks awful too and deters the cabbage white!!!! Haven't detected any adverse taste from my pickled red cabbage or brussels sprouts.

Have to agree we are giving it a try started brewing ours yesterday sore it on the big dig

[Paulottie]

I went to the beach. got a couple of carrier bags worth kelp etc. put a brick on it in a dustbin and filled it up with water. put on the lid left it for a month. I diluted the resulting putrid brew. a saucepan in a watering can and used it a foliar spray and drench. It has considerable magnesium and trace elements that don't come in your average feed. Truly a great tonic for all your plants they just look heathier and get less disease -like vitamin supplements. problem was i just left it there till the following spring and it was just toe curling.

I am sure your brew will work much like maxicrop- a commercial brand of the same. dilute and spray on

I have also added sackfulls to the compost in the past and boy does it make the heap hot. lots of activators in it.

The west coast Irish, in particular, used to spread seaweed on the fields. I believe they do the same for 'Jersey royals' obviously great for spuds.

[terrier]

I was going to post about obtaining comfrey and what type to use, but you lot have covered just about all my questions.Wonderfull stuff, thanks a lot.

[goddess]

thanks alot paul.the stew i have is very light green and slimy.forget to mention earlier that i rinsed salt of it first.a big bag of dried stuff was less than 2 pounds so well worth experimenting.g

[Paulottie]

Probably was a good idea to reduce salt content. I was considering mulching asparagus beds with it this year for the opposite reason

[libbyloulou]

I live near where there was a farm, sad i know, wish it was still there,the fields are still there, used by another farmer, who dumps manure to do the fields, there's also loads of nettles near poo dumps, anyway, i have a ex-loft 60-80 gallon tank, 1 sack of manure in it,a good 5lbs of nettle in and the same in comfrey, i dont want to over do it, ...How much should i water it down. ?

[Paulottie]

Stone the crows! you could water the whole farm with that! rule is pale straw colour -approx 1:10. once a week/fortnight on greedy feeders and container plants. you'll have enough for fruit trees,ornamentals, lawn etc.

[libbyloulou]

hi paulottie, thanks for your info, i have quite a few, to me, beds, some on concrete, so really need to get it right, organicly, for my first grand child, hence the name (libby), have grown toms,peppers and a few others for a while, this is now really organic to me, i now have everything growing as i'm out of work at the mo (railway) so,need help with this, will take your advice and go for the straw colourd stuff. thanks.