New Veg Patch - Too late for compost?

Gillby1

Hi all,

We recently moved in to a new house in mid-Essex, and i'm working on using the south-facing garden border as a veg patch. I've dug it over, removed stones and weeds etc... but it's quite claggy and clay-like. Is it too late to add compost or other soil improvers if i plan to grow anything this year?

I am a total beginner, and am hoping to grow salad veg, beans and peas.

Thanks!

Gilly

wellused

It's all claggy this time of year add some compost from the garden centre when you plant it up if you like it will improve the soil after time, also get yourself a compost heap and compost all of your green waste you can also compost paper and cardboard, after a year or so the compost heap will have rich humus a good free additive for your veg patch.:)

Gillby1

Thanks! I have a few bags of garden centre compost, so will use that.

I do have a compost bin, and have started filling it up already. Is it ok to put printed paper and card in there - i.e. newspapers and letters? What about magazines anbd cards? I assume anything containing a lot of ink isn't a good idea?

Funky_Bold_Ribena

http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/making_compost/

wellused

I don't think that shiny paper's any good but the ink in newsprint will decompose.

Gillby1

Thanks Funky Bold Ribena. Am yet to find a straight answer re glossy magazines and cards, so will leave them out for now.

Funky_Bold_Ribena

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/composting/compost_pf.php

wellused

I see that adding urine to the compost is recommended in that article, I read somewhere the other day that human urine dissuades badgers from eating parsnips, I think that it would me too!;)

forgotmyname

I put loads of stuff in the compost. Paper, teabags, Grass clippings, Leaves, Branches from pruning. Rotten fruit, peelings, cardboard, Offcuts of clean wood.

It comes out all lovely. Anything large thats not broken down gets chucked back in at the bottom for another year.
Its amazing how a large green compost bin thats overflowing reduces down to a fairly small amount.

We get slugs, ants, beetles worms, spiders etc in there.

The only things i dont put in there are treated wood, glossy paper, and meat.

Must be good stuff. I took the lid off the other day and there is something growing in there, Looks like onion or garlic? About 5" tall a bit pale as expected with little light. But growing..

Emma_whitnash

Yep loads gets chucked on mine too! All goes on top and lovely compost gets pulled out of the bottom. Is great! I water it reasonably often and do get things growing as well!

I put some on the garden before winter to plant my onions and garlic, looks like they're doing well

Gillby1

Thanks all. I fully intend to add urine, as i've read it's a great additive, particularly male urine. Do you lot do that:o?!

I've got some garlic and onion sets and have planted a quarter of them in the mini plastic greenhouse in grobag soil - is that the right thing to do? I wasn't sure whether to just plant some straight out given the freezing weather we're expecting. Maybe i should just try it!!

Gill