Multipurpose compost and where to get some/any?

Davesnave

elsien said:

elsien said:

Davesnave said:

elsien said:

Moneyineptitude said:

-taff said:

Luckily I bought mine before the lockdown.

and that should be the only point...

In other news, garden waste collections have been suspended for the duration in most areas. As such, wouldn't it be sensible to make compost from this waste?  

That does presuppose you have the space. I have one nearly full compost bin, a small garden and some seriously overgrown bushes. More compost bins not an option. 

Compost that comes from a bin, or in my case from a huge heap, is OK for the larger plants when they've toughened-up, but I wouldn't be putting small tomato seedlings into it due to the likelihood of fungal rots and similar being present. Mine, made mainly from stable manure, is great soil conditioner, but it doesn't have balanced nutrients in it either.

No. mine's normally used as a mulch or soil conditioner. I would usually get some horse manure to add to the mix as well but didn't have the opportunity this year before things ground to a halt. 

I did get some of the seed compost from Lidl this week (while doing essential shopping for two people in isolation, if that makes anyone feel any better about it) - only small bags though so no use if you're growing lots but I'll report back with the findings in due course.

I passed the compost in Lidl and more in Sainsburys, so there's some about now for ordinary home growers.

I will make you jealous now....Each year, the stable next door runs out of storage space, so a friend comes with his digger, pushes the last few years' heaps into a more consolidated pile and them dumps a trailer or two of fresh manure in the space created. We just keep taking from the far end. The surplus gets thrown around our fields by his spreader to help the grass grow.

We do have 2 dalek bins, but they're kinda puny compared with what arrives from the stables!

I also grow comfrey along the field edge and harvest that into water barrels, where it turns into something like Tomorite, but with more of a smell!  It does a good job of feeding and anyone can grow the stuff if they have a spare patch.

-taff

If anyone is thinking of growing comfrey in their home garden [ unlike Dave who has tons of space ] get a variety called Bocking 14. It's sterile and will not set seed anywhere. It will clump up and get bigger though. Brilliant for tomatoes. I know people chop up the leaves and add it straight ot the compost too.

Dave...Yep, the smell of plant poo. I got it on my hands once, could  not get rid of the smell for ages....

baggins11

Is comfrey better than nettle water?  Last year I used nettles but I have just realised I have comfrey growing also.

-taff

Comfrey is more potassium, nettles more nitrogen so comfrey for fruiting plants, nettles for green leafy plants

Davesnave

-taff said:

If anyone is thinking of growing comfrey in their home garden [ unlike Dave who has tons of space ] get a variety called Bocking 14. It's sterile and will not set seed anywhere.

I use Bocking 14. Even with 'tons of space,' (most of it fields) it grows where I could put little else. Decorative, small Iberian comfreys would also work, but as you say, they spread around by seed and so does the big wild one which I had to kill off here before using the sterile clone.