After a interesting first year as an allotment gardener, some
failure but quite a lot of success.
I am now looking forward to a second and hopefully more
successful year, learning from the mistakes I made last year.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post.
I know that I should be putting something back into the soil
but not knowing what is the best thing.
Can someone help me with some advice and suggestions.
Not to expensive BTW as that would defeat the object of
growing my own veg.

Wally

"Wally" wrote...
After a interesting first year as an allotment gardener, some
failure but quite a lot of success.
I am now looking forward to a second and hopefully more
successful year, learning from the mistakes I made last year.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post.
I know that I should be putting something back into the soil
but not knowing what is the best thing.
Can someone help me with some advice and suggestions.
Not to expensive BTW as that would defeat the object of
growing my own veg.

We have a local farmer/stables that leaves the straw/horse manure out for at
least a year to mature so it's instantly useable, and he delivers it at £12
per trailer load. Wonderful stuff, we get two loads a year which I dig into
one quarter of our plot...we use a 4 year rotation (so it goes on the potato
bed every year). Funny enough I was talking to the Shepherd that help
deliver it today in Sainsbury's about ordering two loads but he said with
all this rain and the F & M they can't get to it yet.
Ask around your site and see if there is anyone like that in your area but
do make sure it's well rotted so little straw shows.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

We have a local farmer/stables that leaves the straw/horse manure out for
at least a year to mature so it's instantly useable, and he delivers it at
£12 per trailer load. Wonderful stuff, we get two loads a year which I dig
into one quarter of our plot...we use a 4 year rotation (so it goes on the
potato bed every year). Funny enough I was talking to the Shepherd that
help deliver it today in Sainsbury's about ordering two loads but he said
with all this rain and the F & M they can't get to it yet.
Ask around your site and see if there is anyone like that in your area but
do make sure it's well rotted so little straw shows.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

Thanks Bob, on our allotment a local stables bring there horse waste
and dump it in a heap for us all to help ourselves.
The problem is, it is not straw, it is woodshavings and is quite fresh, not
rotted at all.
A lot of my neighbours grab it and dig it in to there plots but I'm not too
sure that it doing any good.

Wally

"Wally" wrote...

We have a local farmer/stables that leaves the straw/horse manure out for
at least a year to mature so it's instantly useable, and he delivers it
at £12 per trailer load. Wonderful stuff, we get two loads a year which I
dig into one quarter of our plot...we use a 4 year rotation (so it goes
on the potato bed every year). Funny enough I was talking to the Shepherd
that help deliver it today in Sainsbury's about ordering two loads but he
said with all this rain and the F & M they can't get to it yet.
Ask around your site and see if there is anyone like that in your area
but do make sure it's well rotted so little straw shows.

Thanks Bob, on our allotment a local stables bring there horse waste
and dump it in a heap for us all to help ourselves.
The problem is, it is not straw, it is woodshavings and is quite fresh,
not
rotted at all.
A lot of my neighbours grab it and dig it in to there plots but I'm not
too
sure that it doing any good.

Fresh sawdust will remove nitrogen from the soil to aid in it's own rotting
only giving it back much later in the process. Best to heap it up and
sprinkle Nitrochalk* on it to speed rotting but still leave it for a year.
* available in small lots from your local friendly farmer or from a Farmers
type shop.
Perhaps you could persuade your allotment comittee to purchase some for the
woody heap.
Well rotted sawdust & manure is wonderful stuff for breaking up clay type
soils BTW.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK