What I did today - 2019

[Logunner]

Today i started a huge wood chip hotbed inspired by VC's thread from last year.

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...bed_95046.html

I've had about 5 ton of wood chip delivered, built a frame out of ten palets and started to fill it, only one problem, I've not enough manure!
Do you think I can get a similar result by using an alternative nitrogen source?
Given the time of year and limited access to manure, I'm thinking that if i add lawn feed to the pile, the bacteria/fungi will use this as there nitrogen source and get nice and warm.
Anyone else with any thoughts would be gratefully welcome please

A guy on the road from botany bay to heapey has a sign out for horse manure... bag your own I thnk

[MyWifesBrassicas]

A guy on the road from botany bay to heapey has a sign out for horse manure... bag your own I thnk

Nice one, 5 mins drive away. Thanks!

[Chestnut]

I've been to the allotment today and lifted more carpets, and some more carpets after that. One piece was so large I couldn't drag it in one piece, but had to pull at each corner, one at a time. Now left in a heap and I might have to get help to shift it, or tie it to the van somehow.

I managed to get the most of the large bed that I wanted alongside the growing tunnel, held up by the enormous amount of bindweed roots that had spread under the carpet. I laid down loads of cardboard, leaves, coffee grounds and horse manure, then compost on top. About a third left to do. I ran out of daylight

Bloody lovely to be up there until 4.30 and enjoyed some sunshine too!

If you cannot get it into the van, I found an old pair of kitchen scissors the easiest way to cut wet carpet...

I weeded round a couple of soft fruit bushes, relocated some self seeded forget me nots, picked some sprouts, cleaned up the last box of celeriac, picked sellotape off a carload of cardboard. Loved the fact I could still see sellotape at 4.30, then sorted out my seed colection by sowing dates, and made a couple of trays of paper seedling pots :-)

[Baldy]

Today i started a huge wood chip hotbed inspired by VC's thread from last year.

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...bed_95046.html

I've had about 5 ton of wood chip delivered, built a frame out of ten palets and started to fill it, only one problem, I've not enough manure!
Do you think I can get a similar result by using an alternative nitrogen source?
Given the time of year and limited access to manure, I'm thinking that if i add lawn feed to the pile, the bacteria/fungi will use this as there nitrogen source and get nice and warm.
Anyone else with any thoughts would be gratefully welcome please

grass cuttings will do the job..

[SarrissUK]

If you cannot get it into the van, I found an old pair of kitchen scissors the easiest way to cut wet carpet...

Good idea! I have found a box of old stuff that the previous tenant left behind and there's a pair of scissors in there that I can try. The man loved his carpets more than the poor plants lol Three layers in the whole massive bed that I've de-carpeted today.

[Small pumpkin]

Emptied lots of big tubs onto the compost with Bob's help.
Made a new cover for the salad bar. Used spare bits of polytunnel cover. Much stronge than the original and much cheaper than a £30 replacement.

[Logunner]

Erected shed, emptied tools out of greenhouse into shed.

35 bare root strawberries arrived (korona) need to pot em up till later in the year.

[SarrissUK]

Today I convinced the council to let us have another skip on my allotment, considering I have so much carpet to dispose of!

[bramble]

Planted out a tray of polyanthus which I bought over the weekend.
Lovely bright colours.
Spent some time weeding and generally pottering around.
It's great to get out even for a little while.

[Logunner]

35 strawberries potted up.

[Small pumpkin]

Compost juggling. One side of the pallet compost bin has been emptied into 3 empty darleks and the last bit spread onto half a bed.
New improved growing plan for the first tunnel & the little tunnel has also been devised.

[muck lover]

Ive been playing with the soil thermometer I got for Christmas. Polytunnel soil temp 8 degrees. Outside beds 5 degrees. A large leafmould/grass clipping outside box a whopping 14 degrees.
Its a lot of fun if you're a sad person like me. Now I am going to be able to prove exactly why there are so many weed seeds in my home made compost. Gotta love science!

[veggiechicken]

Friday is Flower day so I've sown 2 half trays with the Lucky jar seeds chosen by Ms-T and SP - they're in the bedroom (the trays, not Ms-T and SP ).
Also put two Florence Fennel bases in water to see if I can sprout them. They're not in the bedroom but on the kitchen windowsill.

[Scarlet]

Still doing my hedge....loads of crap has crept in from the other side of the fence! And it's so cold out......I've also had some nosey buggers taking a look!

[toomanytommytoes]

Made up a 30 L batch of seedling mix (vermicompost + coir + vermiculite) in preparation for sowing chillies and aubergines.