Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Makingabobor2

Another productive day by the sound of it. I love the term "kitchen wizardry". 

Makingabobor2

@foxgloves, I read somewhere that if you had grown potatoes in large pots, you shouldn't then use the same compost for anything else? Do you know if that's true? I thought you would be the person to ask. Seems a shame to throw out a whole giant tub full of compost

foxgloves

@Makingabobor2 - Well, it probably depends how you intend to use it. If we grow potatoes in pots, we re-use the compost on our flower borders, usually at the back to build up the level a bit. I do re-use compost but if my potatoes or tomatoes had ANY signs of blight or other diseases, I wouldn't re-sow anything into it. I re-use my greenhouse grow-bags in this way, but only for rocket or lettuce as there won't be many nutrients left after hungry plants like tomatoes & cukes. I've also mixed used grow-bag compost with some of our garden compost & some new bagged for planting bulbs in containers, but again, would not do it if any hint of disease. Also worth checking for the more destructive pests such as vine weevil larvae as these love container-grown plants & defo don't want spreading about.
Good practice is not to re-use the compost & while I know this to be true, I sometimes break the rule where experience has shown I can get away with it. The truth is that growing veg in containers is an expensive way of doing it in terms of expenditure on bought compost. It's increased in price like everything else, so while it isn't an option for everyone, the cheaper option is probably to enrich a bed with home made garden compost & grow in the ground.
F x

Makingabobor2

foxgloves said:

@Makingabobor2 - Well, it probably depends how you intend to use it. If we grow potatoes in pots, we re-use the compost on our flower borders, usually at the back to build up the level a bit. I do re-use compost but if my potatoes or tomatoes had ANY signs of blight or other diseases, I wouldn't re-sow anything into it. I re-use my greenhouse grow-bags in this way, but only for rocket or lettuce as there won't be many nutrients left after hungry plants like tomatoes & cukes. I've also mixed used grow-bag compost with some of our garden compost & some new bagged for planting bulbs in containers, but again, would not do it if any hint of disease. Also worth checking for the more destructive pests such as vine weevil larvae as these love container-grown plants & defo don't want spreading about.
Good practice is not to re-use the compost & while I know this to be true, I sometimes break the rule where experience has shown I can get away with it. The truth is that growing veg in containers is an expensive way of doing it in terms of expenditure on bought compost. It's increased in price like everything else, so while it isn't an option for everyone, the cheaper option is probably to enrich a bed with home made garden compost & grow in the ground.
F x

Thanks for that. Yes it does seem as though my veg growing may be more expensive than I thought. I am reluctant to have a compost bin as I don't want to encourage mice & rats

Cheery_Daff

I've still got basil happily growing on the kitchen windowsill but it was a reduced supermarket rescue - always a good way of acquiring basil! Hoping to keep it going for a while yet. Sadly my attempts at rescuing coriander have not been similarly successful 🙄😂

PennysIntoPounds

Hope it all goes as smoothly as possible tomorrow. I have no doubt you'll smash it. Wear something marvellous and as others said, schedule loveliness for the rest of the day x
Absolutely chucking it down in London town, first proper rain we've had for I think over half a month so that's a relief for allotments, gardens, parks, and those of us who were really excited about wearing big jumpers come autumn

ladyholly

I hope all goes as well as possible with your appointment.

Four_Seasons

Thinking of you and sending positive vibes x

Sun_Addict

Hope today goes well.

EssexHebridean

More "good appointment" vibes from here Foxgloves! xx