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  • Potato tubs

    Having had my potato crops decimated by slugs over the years, I now grow my potatoes in tubs. Having seen the price of the ones from the seed merchants and nurseries I was at first put off but then came up with an idea that recycles a waste product from where I work which happens to be a granite quarry.

    We get through hundreds of gallons of different types of synthetic oil a week, most of which is supplied in 25 litre barrels with a handy carrying handle on. These barrels are just skipped for disposal once empty and are ground up into granules to be made into other plastic items. I just cut out the top with a knife which is supprisingly easy, and wipe it out with old newspaper and dispose of this sensibly.

    once clean, I drill a few small holes into the bottom and add a little grit to deter slugs from trying their luck. The barrels are then half filled with a mix of compost and 10 year old manure, a potato tuber added and then topped up to the three quarter level and once the haulms break through top up to the top. Harvesting is just a case of tipping them out and picking out the tubers. The quality of the resulting tubers is fantastic and of course none are speared by a fork or touched by slugs, the yields are very good as well. An added bonus is that your crop is portable and can be moved around as the tubs have handles and are not too big to lift. I harvest the crop by tipping the barrels out onto a bed that is empty and fork in the compost manure mix as a soil conditioner.

    Another variation to this that is used on our allotments is to cut the big blue barrels generally used for water in half, fill as before but add three tubers. Results are again much better than in the ground with more yield from less tubers. If any body local to me would like some barrels, let me know.

    David

  • #2
    Potato tubs - sort of!!!!!!!!!

    Hi
    I am also in Leicestershire and although have tubs for this year, would love to know where you source your manure from. This is our first year in this garden, in this county and would be grateful if you could let me know!

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    • #3
      You couldn't send some of those barrels over the border to Warwickshire could you I think I know where you work.
      ntg
      Never be afraid to try something new.
      Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
      A large group of professionals built the Titanic
      ==================================================

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      • #4
        tubs

        Hi chaps, has anyone got a source for the large blue barrels ? Thinking of the types that you often see olives in abroad and could do with a few more on my plot to keep water in as we have no tap
        "Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

        Location....Normandy France

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        • #5
          We used to get ours from a local jam & sweet factory who were only too pleased to be rid of them. I believe that some farmers also get pig feed in them so maybe try your local farm if you don't have nearby factories?

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          • #6
            Large Blue Barrels

            Any large food processing factory will have literally barrel-loads of these - every salmon / fish processing factory up here has a yard full of empties - they contain oils, salt, mayonnaise etc. We use them to make sea going rafts for the local raft race during gala week.
            Rat
            Rat

            British by birth
            Scottish by the Grace of God

            http://scotsburngarden.blogspot.com/
            http://davethegardener.blogspot.com/

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            • #7
              Excellent - we have a jam factory near here that I'll try - bit of a shortage of the old salmon processing in Cheshire!
              "Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

              Location....Normandy France

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              • #8
                Nick,

                If you want to collect, I can get them for you.

                Piglet
                Last edited by pigletwillie; 23-01-2006, 12:32 AM.

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                • #9
                  Hi Cotton,
                  1 place you have to collect in a trailer but there is a farm in Fleckney that does a big load for £60 as long as you are not the other side of the county, let me know if you want the numbers.

                  Piglet
                  Last edited by pigletwillie; 23-01-2006, 12:31 AM.

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                  • #10
                    blue barrels

                    one place where u can possibly get blue barrels is the stagecoach bus depot , they get large quantitys of cleaner delivered in them ,hope this helps j.f

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                    • #11
                      Just posted a message about growing spuds in old tyres and it gotthe thumbs up from Georgie and The Rat. The instructions I read involved putting the seed in one tyre and adding three others whilst earthing up with compost. Going to give it a try this yr. Old tyres should be a piece of cake to get hold of.

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                      • #12
                        Old tyres

                        Pip
                        You can source old tyres at most garages / tyre centres. Depending on what size you are after, farms and hauliers are a good bet - the cost of disposing of a tyre is now £3.50 for an agricultural trailer tyre, so farmers etc would be happy to let you take what you want.
                        Rat
                        Rat

                        British by birth
                        Scottish by the Grace of God

                        http://scotsburngarden.blogspot.com/
                        http://davethegardener.blogspot.com/

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                        • #13
                          Anyone know of a source of the blue barrells near Stanstead airport?
                          I have a trailer so could collect about six at a time!
                          Always thank people who have helped you immediately, as they may not be around to thank later.
                          Visit my blog at http://podsplot.blogspot.com/ - Updated 18th October 2009
                          I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/

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                          • #14
                            Welcome to the grapevine Peter. Sorry I can't help with the barrels though.
                            [

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                            • #15
                              blue barrels

                              I asked on my site and apparently you can get the blue barrels from a scrapyard adjacent to the council depot. May be worth ringng round a few places to see - evidently they charge about £5 a barrel though.
                              I know where there are some loafing around but I'm loathe to experiment with them until I can find out exactly what they had in before...
                              I've also discovered a carpet fitter who has a skip load of offcuts outside his workshop - some in convenient path-sized widths. I'm going to speak to him soon,

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