Sacha15/4/04 10:15
net.co.uk
Mike Lyle15/4/04 6:01
Sacha wrote in message
. co.uk...
Vicky14/4/04 10:47
I live near the sea and was wondering about the benefits of seaweed as a
compost in the very poor soil of my garden. If I wash it well to reduce
the
salt content, will it be OK to use straight on and in the soil?
Vicky
Farmers in Jersey used it for centuries on their fields - until nitrates
made their lives easier. ;-(
Some do use it still and there is no need to rinse it. After autumnal
storms, gather up whatever you need and dig it straight into your soil or
just lay it on top. Worms and weathering will do the rest throughout the
winter. It gives a wonderful flavour to potatoes, BTW!
Is it true that seaweed also confers some disease-resistance on
potatoes? Oh, and liquid seaweed extract sprayed on gives some
frost-resistance, they say.
Mike.
No idea - wouldn't surprise me. I'll ask a Jersey farmer........ ;-)
Frost-resistance wouldn't be a *major* problem in Jersey but it will occur
sometimes.
And finally - having skived off to France and returned - he's answered me.
;-)
" Sea weed is used as a soil
conditioner /manure. The iodine in the seaweed was supposed to be good for
the cattle grazing . It used to be spread on the grass in the autumn and
therefore dried through the winter.
It is still used in some areas but is expensive to cart and spread."
No mention of anti-freeze properties but, as I say, not a big problem in
Jersey. However, any mulch would help re freezing. The farmer I wrote to
was mainly into dairy farming; another who is a potato grower assures me via
'phone that they chucked it onto the bare fields in autumn/winter and simply
let it rot down and be dragged down by worms. In open weather, they plant
spuds in Jersey in February (depending a bit on which side of the island
etc.) so it clearly doesn't do the soil or plants in it any harm! We had our
first 'feed' of Jersey potatoes last night and they were wonderful - tasted
just like the ones of my childhood, so I wish I knew whose farm those came
from. I was pleasantly surprised because they must have been grown under
polythene and somehow I never find they taste quite the same - maybe this
farmer uses seaweed. ;-) Not being washed mechanically might have
something to do with it, too.
--
Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)