Seaweed as a vegetable plot top dressing

Hi, A relative gardening novice after some advice regarding growing some vegetables. I live in the North of Scotland and have just dug a vegetable patch 10m x 2m. The soil was full of large stones and is only about 18 inches deep before hitting boulder clay. After clearing as much of the stone as possible I intend trying to grow potatoes (maincrop), Onions and beetroot. Hopefully I can manage these!
Would it be beneficial to add some shredded seaweed to the top of the bed now prior to any planting. Living not to far from the coast there is a plentiful supply Apparently around the third week of April is when people plant out maincrop potatoes up here so there is still a good while for it to rot down.
Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

Good stuff is seaweed, I used to top dress the soil every year after a good storm. A quick rinse with fresh water and jobs a goodun...I did do it before Christmas though, but can't see a problem doing it late winter

 

I've used garden compost & horse manure but I've never used seaweed! I used a lot of horse manure on an allotment I used to have but the seas is rather a distance from here so I've never had the chance! I've read seaweed is full of micro-nutrients & that it's very good for the soil as well as the plant life living in it!

As @flounder seems to have some experience you'd probably do well in following his advice. Any way I live a very long way from N.Scotland & have no idea of growing times there.

@KEVIN247 Welcome to the forum by the way!
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Many thanks for the quick responses. I did read somewhere that seaweed breaks down fairly quickly so hopefully I still have time to apply it considering we are a bit later getting things going this far North.

 

Am I right in thinking you can make your own liquid feed out of sea weed.

 

You can and it pongs, or at least when I tried it it did!

The last two years I got quite a lot of seaweed to put on top of my beds in winter and some in the compost heap. Have yet to go and get some this year

I found kelp rotted down the fastest compared to bladderwrack which took a lot longer

 

And nettles.

 

Ayrshire potatoes are grown in seaweed commercially.

 

Jersey Royal potatoes in Guernsey and Jersey are grown in soil heavily mulched with fresh seaweed.
The seaweed is usually lain as a mulch, in autumn then dug in when the potatoes are planted. I am sure that is why they taste different to other Jersey Royals.
Why faff with making liquid feed when the seaweed can just be put on the surface of the soil. It doesn't smell for long. No need to wash it first, a bit of salty sand does no harm.

 

I'm a big fan of seaweed products.
I don't live near the sea so I buy seaweed meal that I liberally spread on the borders in Spring mixed in with some blood, fish and bone.
The smell of the seaweed meal is lovely