Compost, Fertilisers & Recycling

thanks Becks uff good to hear it works okM.

hi, i have two lily's, one is a pygmy, the other is a large white one!!! both of the lily's had got smaller than normal leaves.i expected the little one to have up to 3" leaves and the large one 5-6" Im just wondering if they need some sort of feed??? thanks

Yes, but leave it to the sheep! ;-)

Recently made a worm bin out of a girt blue barrel. Did have a wooden bin built of scafold planks, but the rats gnawed thru that. Just drilled a load of holes in the bottom, mounted it on a stack of bricks with a metal grill to stop the rats. Put a tray to catch the liquid feed underneath. I...

I shove the leaves in ex-onion sacks and hang them old cold water stotage cisterns. Best to avoid pouring around plants that you're picking from (like leaf beet) as the smell is rather offputting. The remains get used as mulch. It's really good, cheap stuff. Don't be put off making it by...

Cheers Armandii, I will have a look:thumb:

My dad would have a hill pile of chicken manure from the chicken coop. During the growing season of the veggie gardens, if one of the tomatoes was eaten by a night creature, he would throw the rest right on top of the chicken manure pile. And guess what----next spring tomatoe plants would be...

Sorry, repeating myself, but I can't recommend a visit highly enough. Bit of a pity its right on one side of the country rather than slap-bang in the middle!I've been to numerous famous gardens - nothing has "done it for me" as much as this one

My father's walk to work would take him past fields with mole hills and he would come home with a bag full every day to use in his greenhouse borders.I would also collect it to earn extra pocket money.Over the course of many years our back garden soil level ended up about 100mm higher...

Good idea Kristen !:D But as a gardeners we rely on myths and old wives tales not scientific experiments :DIt does seem like we all have a pretty similar feeding regime probablly most of us using Kristens "when I remember" method.

I understand what you're thinking, being "clear" would the compost be more open to disease etc?? I honestly don't think so, Miraflores. If it was put in containers that were clean there shouldn't be a problem, over time I'm sure the natural process of airborne organisms arriving and settling on...

But these aren't ordinary slugs - they are huge .... chickens ???? not in our little estate -

I had young blueberry bushes which died within 3 weeks. They went all brown and died.I now have 4 blueberry bushes, 2 that are 1yr old, 2 that are younger. They were left outside, unprotected. Our temps here reach -15oC. They are close to the walls of our house, but in a sunny spot in the...

Thanks Kristen That has spoken volumes to me Its my first time for growing in bags so this information will help no end my seeds are chitting along lovely so I am pretty much ready for the off I am meeting up with a wise old person tomorrow evening and I shall be asking him if he thinks we are...

I mix old multi-purpose compost (i.e. "once used" e.g. for Spuds in Bags) 50:50 with sharp horticultural sand and sow Carrots in large-ish pots (12" diameter say)I also use the old compost to fill "pots" made from rolling a newspaper around a spray can - they are then planted out as soon as...

Alright, I give in - you are a tightwad!

Depends what the weeds were, some will not germinate if the light is excluded, others will.Probably best to use the compost as a mulch, then scrape aside & dig up those that do, dandelions, docks, bindweed etc.I use whatever I can as a mulch, it does help to keep ahead of weeding in the...

Thank you all for your advice.I have not ventured into HB that much but I always look on in envy at some that I see.You just cannot see the basket anywhere for flowers, especially the ones that hang and cover the sides.Mine look puny by comparison and I am determined to at least try to do...

Nothing to be ashamed of John. You killed it outright, you didn't torture it. Thing is mate, rats are vermin and disgusting, vile creatures. I hate the things. I still wouldn't torture one, but any that I see when I have the gun out, I have no problem shooting them.When I spoke to the rat...

Thanks for your replies.I think you're probably all right, I just need to keep doing small bits at a time, from 'home compost' and bags. I'll give the coir a miss then, just wondered if anybody knew about it and it doesn't seem like it will be of much use.Cheers.