Hi

I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure how
to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have significant
quanties of sand or clay.

Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large bag
of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local tip
sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost. How much
should I use, say per square metre?

Cheers,

Mark

In article , Mark
writes
Hi

I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure how
to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have significant
quanties of sand or clay.

Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large bag
of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local tip
sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost. How much
should I use, say per square metre?

Either of those products would be suitable for that purpose, but if the
soil has been rested from production for some time, it probably will
have sufficient nutrients in it for the first crop at least. If you are
in doubt, a light dressing will do no harm. Use enough to cover the
surface at about 0.5in./1cm.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

Mark wrote:
: Hi
:
: I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
: vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure
: how to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have
: significant quanties of sand or clay.
:
: Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large
: bag of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local
: tip sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost.
: How much should I use, say per square metre?
:
: Cheers,
:
: Mark

As much as you can afford

In article , Mark
writes
Hi

I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure how
to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have significant
quanties of sand or clay.

Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large bag
of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local tip
sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost. How much
should I use, say per square metre?

Either of those products would be suitable for that purpose, but if the
soil has been rested from production for some time, it probably will
have sufficient nutrients in it for the first crop at least. If you are
in doubt, a light dressing will do no harm. Use enough to cover the
surface at about 0.5in./1cm.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

Mark wrote:
: Hi
:
: I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
: vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure
: how to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have
: significant quanties of sand or clay.
:
: Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large
: bag of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local
: tip sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost.
: How much should I use, say per square metre?
:
: Cheers,
:
: Mark

As much as you can afford

On Fri, 2 Apr 2004 19:19:13 +0100, Alan Gould
wrote:

Mark writes

I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure how
to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have significant
quanties of sand or clay.

Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large bag
of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local tip
sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost. How much
should I use, say per square metre?

Either of those products would be suitable for that purpose, but if the
soil has been rested from production for some time, it probably will
have sufficient nutrients in it for the first crop at least.

Compost provides little extra nutrition for plants with N-P-K values
usually 1-1-1 or less. Its primary value is for 'fluffing up' the soil
and making existing nutrients more readily available to plants.

On Fri, 2 Apr 2004 19:19:13 +0100, Alan Gould
wrote:

Mark writes

I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure how
to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have significant
quanties of sand or clay.

Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large bag
of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local tip
sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost. How much
should I use, say per square metre?

Either of those products would be suitable for that purpose, but if the
soil has been rested from production for some time, it probably will
have sufficient nutrients in it for the first crop at least.

Compost provides little extra nutrition for plants with N-P-K values
usually 1-1-1 or less. Its primary value is for 'fluffing up' the soil
and making existing nutrients more readily available to plants.

In article ,
Frogleg wrote:
On Fri, 2 Apr 2004 19:19:13 +0100, Alan Gould
wrote:
Mark writes

I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure how
to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have significant
quanties of sand or clay.

Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large bag
of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local tip
sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost. How much
should I use, say per square metre?

Either of those products would be suitable for that purpose, but if the
soil has been rested from production for some time, it probably will
have sufficient nutrients in it for the first crop at least.

Compost provides little extra nutrition for plants with N-P-K values
usually 1-1-1 or less. Its primary value is for 'fluffing up' the soil
and making existing nutrients more readily available to plants.

To clarify, you are referring to the 'composts' sold in garden
centres. The sort of thing that you get by composting household
organic waste is entirely different, and contains a lot of nutrients.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Frogleg wrote:
On Fri, 2 Apr 2004 19:19:13 +0100, Alan Gould
wrote:
Mark writes

I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure how
to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have significant
quanties of sand or clay.

Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large bag
of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local tip
sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost. How much
should I use, say per square metre?

Either of those products would be suitable for that purpose, but if the
soil has been rested from production for some time, it probably will
have sufficient nutrients in it for the first crop at least.

Compost provides little extra nutrition for plants with N-P-K values
usually 1-1-1 or less. Its primary value is for 'fluffing up' the soil
and making existing nutrients more readily available to plants.

To clarify, you are referring to the 'composts' sold in garden
centres. The sort of thing that you get by composting household
organic waste is entirely different, and contains a lot of nutrients.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes


To clarify, you are referring to the 'composts' sold in garden
centres. The sort of thing that you get by composting household
organic waste is entirely different, and contains a lot of nutrients.

Commercial composts contain varying amounts of nutrients according to
whether they are described as seed, potting, growing etc., also
according to their John Innes category if given.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes


To clarify, you are referring to the 'composts' sold in garden
centres. The sort of thing that you get by composting household
organic waste is entirely different, and contains a lot of nutrients.

Commercial composts contain varying amounts of nutrients according to
whether they are described as seed, potting, growing etc., also
according to their John Innes category if given.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

On Sat, 3 Apr 2004 18:47:58 +0100, Alan Gould
wrote:

Nick Maclaren writes

To clarify, you are referring to the 'composts' sold in garden
centres. The sort of thing that you get by composting household
organic waste is entirely different, and contains a lot of nutrients.

"Exact amounts of various minerals and substances in compost depend on
what went into the pile, how hot the pile became during composting,
and the extent of the composting process. Because of variations of
these conditions and inputs, compost does not have a consistent N-P-K
rating, although it should roughly equal 1-1-1." from:

http://www.mastercomposter.com/ref/faq.html#npk

"The NPK of Quoddy is 1.2-0.3-0.3 and Schoodic Blend is 0.6-0.3-0.3"

I assume these are local brands of compost available to readers of
this site:

http://coastofmaine.com/wwwboard/messages/131.html

"Compost N.P.K. 1.4-3.5 : 0.3-1 : 0.4-2 Well made compost that
contains a large number of ingredients from many different sources
will have adequate amounts of most essential major and trace elements.
Compost, combined with any animal manures produce the best and safest
all purpose fertiliser, containing both major and minor elements."
from:

http://tinyurl.com/37ez7 (a PDF document from an Australian source)


And here's a site that collects many references to N-P-K figures for
organic materials:

http://www.ecosyn.us/ecocity/Links/M..._manure01.html

Compost *does* contain nutrients -- I didn't say it didn't. But its
benefit isn't in the amount of what we generally call "fertilizer" as
in a nutrient boost for veg crops in particular.



Commercial composts contain varying amounts of nutrients according to
whether they are described as seed, potting, growing etc., also
according to their John Innes category if given.

I was addressing compost, not various potting soils, seed-starting
mixes, topsoil, etc. The nutrition content of composts, home-brew or
commercial, *will* vary according to composition, but in general, the
garden/kitchen waste sort is quite low in the N-P-K values usually
associated with "fertilizer."

On Sat, 3 Apr 2004 18:47:58 +0100, Alan Gould
wrote:

Nick Maclaren writes

To clarify, you are referring to the 'composts' sold in garden
centres. The sort of thing that you get by composting household
organic waste is entirely different, and contains a lot of nutrients.

"Exact amounts of various minerals and substances in compost depend on
what went into the pile, how hot the pile became during composting,
and the extent of the composting process. Because of variations of
these conditions and inputs, compost does not have a consistent N-P-K
rating, although it should roughly equal 1-1-1." from:

http://www.mastercomposter.com/ref/faq.html#npk

"The NPK of Quoddy is 1.2-0.3-0.3 and Schoodic Blend is 0.6-0.3-0.3"

I assume these are local brands of compost available to readers of
this site:

http://coastofmaine.com/wwwboard/messages/131.html

"Compost N.P.K. 1.4-3.5 : 0.3-1 : 0.4-2 Well made compost that
contains a large number of ingredients from many different sources
will have adequate amounts of most essential major and trace elements.
Compost, combined with any animal manures produce the best and safest
all purpose fertiliser, containing both major and minor elements."
from:

http://tinyurl.com/37ez7 (a PDF document from an Australian source)


And here's a site that collects many references to N-P-K figures for
organic materials:

http://www.ecosyn.us/ecocity/Links/M..._manure01.html

Compost *does* contain nutrients -- I didn't say it didn't. But its
benefit isn't in the amount of what we generally call "fertilizer" as
in a nutrient boost for veg crops in particular.



Commercial composts contain varying amounts of nutrients according to
whether they are described as seed, potting, growing etc., also
according to their John Innes category if given.

I was addressing compost, not various potting soils, seed-starting
mixes, topsoil, etc. The nutrition content of composts, home-brew or
commercial, *will* vary according to composition, but in general, the
garden/kitchen waste sort is quite low in the N-P-K values usually
associated with "fertilizer."

In article ,
Frogleg wrote:

To clarify, you are referring to the 'composts' sold in garden
centres. The sort of thing that you get by composting household
organic waste is entirely different, and contains a lot of nutrients.

"Exact amounts of various minerals and substances in compost depend on
what went into the pile, how hot the pile became during composting,
and the extent of the composting process. Because of variations of
these conditions and inputs, compost does not have a consistent N-P-K
rating, although it should roughly equal 1-1-1." from:

Fine, but don't confuse the delusions of Californians with anything
that any sane person would associate with reality. The first sentence
is perfectly correct and solid science, but the second is thoroughly
addled.

Compost *does* contain nutrients -- I didn't say it didn't. But its
benefit isn't in the amount of what we generally call "fertilizer" as
in a nutrient boost for veg crops in particular.

Nobody ever said that household compost contained the same amount
of nutrients as either fermented bullshit or commercial synthetics.
Here is what you SAID:

Compost provides little extra nutrition for plants with N-P-K values
usually 1-1-1 or less. Its primary value is for 'fluffing up' the soil
and making existing nutrients more readily available to plants.

That is not true for composted household waste. It provides quite
a lot of extra nutrition - God alone knows why the Californians have
confused ratios with absolute values, but God alone can understand
their 'thought' processes. To repeat, not the same amount as in cow
manure or synthetic fertilisers, but quite a lot nevertheless.

Please note that there ARE some sane Californians but, as a society,
they cut themselves off from reality some decades ago and have been
drifting free ever since ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Frogleg wrote:

To clarify, you are referring to the 'composts' sold in garden
centres. The sort of thing that you get by composting household
organic waste is entirely different, and contains a lot of nutrients.

"Exact amounts of various minerals and substances in compost depend on
what went into the pile, how hot the pile became during composting,
and the extent of the composting process. Because of variations of
these conditions and inputs, compost does not have a consistent N-P-K
rating, although it should roughly equal 1-1-1." from:

Fine, but don't confuse the delusions of Californians with anything
that any sane person would associate with reality. The first sentence
is perfectly correct and solid science, but the second is thoroughly
addled.

Compost *does* contain nutrients -- I didn't say it didn't. But its
benefit isn't in the amount of what we generally call "fertilizer" as
in a nutrient boost for veg crops in particular.

Nobody ever said that household compost contained the same amount
of nutrients as either fermented bullshit or commercial synthetics.
Here is what you SAID:

Compost provides little extra nutrition for plants with N-P-K values
usually 1-1-1 or less. Its primary value is for 'fluffing up' the soil
and making existing nutrients more readily available to plants.

That is not true for composted household waste. It provides quite
a lot of extra nutrition - God alone knows why the Californians have
confused ratios with absolute values, but God alone can understand
their 'thought' processes. To repeat, not the same amount as in cow
manure or synthetic fertilisers, but quite a lot nevertheless.

Please note that there ARE some sane Californians but, as a society,
they cut themselves off from reality some decades ago and have been
drifting free ever since ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.