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Allotment Gardening

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  • Do you have any home made compost or leaf mould? They will add organic matter but are relatively low in nutrients.  According to Charles Dowding,  the no dig guru   adding 3-5 cm of compost each year is enough, and  as you are adding new material on top the need for rotation isn't as great.  Things like potatoes, tomatoes (same family) and courgettes,  squash pumpkins etc are all very heavy feeders. Brassicas also take a lot out of the soil. Things like calcified seaweed are very slow long term feeds, and Rock dust or Remin, will keep fertility, and mineral nutrients up without adding any Nitrogen. 
     
    AB Still learning

  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    My leaf mould isn't ready yet, so it will have to be compost @Allotment Boy the only other thing I use is bfb in spring, so it looks like a top dressing will suffice then too.🙂
  • GWRSGWRS Posts: 8,478
    Hello everybody , nice day at allotment 
    Finally got the last of my garlic in , a bed of broad beans & spring onions both under clouches 
    Still lots to do , should keep me busy until Christmas 

    Question, I pulled some carrots 🥕 up and they had been eaten eaten half way downwards , hope that’s makes sense , should have taken a picture , no holes in the bed , anybody any idea ? Never happened before 
  • Could be woodlice,  mine had one still on it when I pulled them  @GWRS
  • Zoe P2Zoe P2 Posts: 848
    Could be woodlice,  
    That's interesting.  Some of mine are full of...craters.  More wholes than carrots.



    I have a dream that my.. children.. one day.. will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character

      Martin Luther King

  • Managed a decent session at plots today.  Planted Broad beans (raised in root trainers). Then mostly clearing and some digging.  Still having trouble with tennis elbow so progress is slow. 
    AB Still learning

  • I spent half an hour last Thursday dead heading to fill the green bin, it's been 12 days since I could do anything much, this cold ( with hacking cough) means I can't even put a nose outside without wheezing. 🙄🤒😷
  • GWRSGWRS Posts: 8,478
    I think more research on eaten carrots 🥕 is needed ?
  • I find that wireworm is often the problem. I think they often start the damage then the other critters move in. It's one of those gardening myths that you only get wireworm in ground that has recently been pasture or grassland.  Our Allotments have been under cultivation for 100 years and we suffer lots of damage from them. 
    AB Still learning

  • I think my damaged carrots started with slugs, but the woodlice took advantage too.
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