Priority areas for compost?

[kathyd]

Hi

Having moved to Brittany in October, I'm just starting out on what I hope will be the rest-of-a lifetime of growing wonderful veggies in the garden. We've spent ages trying to set things up to make life easier as we get older, and now I can't wait to get started! I had a few bits and pieces planted last year, but I'm basically starting from scratch. So some advice would be wonderful please .

I have a limited amount of what looks like reasonable home made compost, some well rotted and some slightly less so but still quite usable I would think.

I have lots of new veggie beds, some raised (over weed supp), some in the ground (ex-grassland, cultivated 5 years ago but then left). I also have raised beds in a large polytunnel with weed-supp underneath. All these beds are currently filled with an assortment of things of varying usefulness and horrors-to-come - some turfs, some soil from a neighbour's woodland, some compost from our local recycling centre, some soil from our own garden.

Naturally, I want to plant 'everything' this year! What would be the best use of my home-made compost please? I can't get any further compost from the recycling centre until at least May/June, provided it's ready then.

Thx

[taff]

if your region gets dry I'd probsably use it under beans, or somewhere where a bit of extra moisture wouldn' go amiss, either dug in under the soil, or as a mulch on top. It doesnt sound like there's much, so really, it could go anywhere.

[kathyd]

Hi Taff, thanks for that. Brittany is usually compared to the south of England - it's mild but we get lots of rain too, not like the South of France at all.

I don't have huge amounts of compost at the moment no, at least not properly rotted and ready to use. There's quite a bit more in progress though for the autumn . I just wondered if it's better spread around as much as possible, or given to specific veg. I know some veg don't like fresh organic matter - parsnips I think I read recently? So now you've told me about beans, I'll know where to focus it, thanks.

[taff]

parsnips or root veg apparently don't like much manure [not really sure of that - I think they just don't actually need it...]
compost is always welcome by everything

[VirginVegGrower]

Your brassicas will benefit from your leftover bean/pea area, so I concur with above to use it on your legumes areas. Potatoes like muck so how about using your hen poop there. I can fast churn compost in eight weeks using browns of paper and cardboard with hen poo, Aubiose bedding, grass clippings, veg peelings and urine (ask your hubby). Buy a pitchfork and turn it every weekend. Riddle out after two months and keep it going. I am using mine as a feed mulch around my overwintering veg. I've used mine to mulch my potato and root beds. Parsnips and carrots are they exception here. You could dig trenches for your beans/peas and drop composting peelings in and bury them.

[Two_Sheds]

I know some veg don't like fresh organic matter

It should all (manure, compost) be composted before being applied to the soil, although you'll get people on here saying they use manure raw with no problems.

parsnips or root veg apparently don't like much manure

Parsnips and carrots will fork (divide the main root) if grown in too rich a soil. Carrots will grow hairy roots if given too much nitrogen

Your brassicas will benefit from your leftover bean/pea area

That myth has been exploded already: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_54424.html

Potatoes like muck

They actually like a slightly acidic soil, which is why horse muck is added (not chicken muck though: that's slightly alkaline)

You could dig trenches for your beans/peas and drop composting peelings in and bury them

The bean trench is more for conserving water (beans are thirsty) than for feeding them

[Loudbarker1]

I would put most of it it on the potato bit with some where you have courgettes or other cucurbits. Both crops love muck/compost) and they fit in different bits of the rotation, so you get the benefit for the next crop next year in 2 areas of the garden.

LB

[kathyd]

Argh! So much information! Lol . Thanks everyone for your input, I knew I could count on you .

I've now spread the first batch onto the legumes area as originally suggested, at a rate of approx 1 barrow per 5 sq m as recommended by someone or other expert on organic growing... (incidentally, what's the difference between household compost and green compost? Just a wider mix of materials?). The pile I had actually went further than I expected, so assuming my next batch is usable I should have plenty left for potato beds and possibly even a couple of others as well. Am I OK putting it down if it's only 3/4 composted, or better to wait a while longer?

Re-the acid/alkaline thing - I don't have a soil testing kit and haven't noticed them in the shops although I'll have another look, but on the basis that there are lots of conifers around and my ericaceous plants seem healthy and my blueberries haven't snuffed it yet, I'd guess it may be more on the acidic side than otherwise? I currently mix my chicken poo / bedding in with the rest of my compost - is this wrong? Or will the alkaline of the chicken poo (I always thought it was acidic!!) balance out some of the acid already in the soil? I only have 7 chickens, and although I'm always amazed at the quantity of poo they can produce overnight, I wouldn't have thought it was enough to cause horrendous problems?

[Two_Sheds]

Argh! So much information!

Get used to that! 10 gardeners = 10 different opinions

what's the difference between household compost and green compost?

I assume green is municipal compost?

Am I OK putting it down if it's only 3/4 composted, or better to wait a while longer?

I empty my heaps every 6 months or so (it would take years if I waited for every last scrap to be "done"). I rake it out for use, putting the big lumps back in the new heap

my ericaceous plants seem healthy and my blueberries haven't snuffed it yet, I'd guess it may be more on the acidic side than otherwise?

That's a good way to tell, yes. Weeds can be good indicators too. Or, get a soil test kit from a GC or eBay, amazon etc. (but these can be not very good).

I currently mix my chicken poo / bedding in with the rest of my compost - is this wrong?

No, it's perfect. Compost should be a wide range of ingredients, as wide as possible. The nitrogen in the poop will speed up the rotting.

chicken poo (I always thought it was acidic!

Most people do, for some reason.
Chicken manure / Royal Horticultural Society

[VirginVegGrower]

Argh! So much information! Lol . Thanks everyone for your input, I knew I could count on you .

I've now spread the first batch onto the legumes area as originally suggested, at a rate of approx 1 barrow per 5 sq m as recommended by someone or other expert on organic growing... (incidentally, what's the difference between household compost and green compost? Just a wider mix of materials?). The pile I had actually went further than I expected, so assuming my next batch is usable I should have plenty left for potato beds and possibly even a couple of others as well. Am I OK putting it down if it's only 3/4 composted, or better to wait a while longer?

Re-the acid/alkaline thing - I don't have a soil testing kit and haven't noticed them in the shops although I'll have another look, but on the basis that there are lots of conifers around and my ericaceous plants seem healthy and my blueberries haven't snuffed it yet, I'd guess it may be more on the acidic side than otherwise? I currently mix my chicken poo / bedding in with the rest of my compost - is this wrong? Or will the alkaline of the chicken poo (I always thought it was acidic!!) balance out some of the acid already in the soil? I only have 7 chickens, and although I'm always amazed at the quantity of poo they can produce overnight, I wouldn't have thought it was enough to cause horrendous problems?

Keep using your chicken poop, it's free and it will work wonders on your soil. Ask Snadger, another chicken poo advocate!

[kathyd]

Hi Two_Sheds - that's what I love about these forums though, so many ideas and suggestions! And things have obviously worked if people are recommending them, so there must be many many ways to grow things, which makes me feel much better .

The term 'green' was one I found in the Organic Guidelines, so possibly municipal I guess, yes - our local 'decheterie', which is like a Tip or Recycling Centre in the UK, collects vast amounts of people's garden waste and then rots it, and sends it off somewhere where they do 'something' with it, and then it's ready for sale. It only costs 15 euros a cubic metre, which is nothing compared with what's in the shops, although you obviously don't know what's gone into it etc. But it was a boon while we were trying to fill lots of new raised beds etc, and it seems to have grown most things OK so far, though I've not had chance to try a wide range of things yet.

My second batch of compost doesn't look quite as ready as I thought, it looks as if it's got a bit dry inside and there are still signs of wood shavings etc in it. I might risk it anyway though and chuck anything too big back again as you suggest.

VVG - I certainly shall! In fact, I may feed them more so they poo more for the next few weeks! Lol

Thx