Well, perhaps I am just lucky in having almost always used manure from my own animals (although not always), but when I pick stuff from my garden I seldom even wash it, and yet, (aside from back ache this week) I am really healthy.
Lots of things you buy from the supermarket even in these sad chemical days, comes from manured fields.
I still enjoy raw vegetables (even from the supermarket). Unless you are immunodeficient or pregnant there aren't many nasty things you can catch from reasonably clean vegetables.
A truly healthy, living, active soil has its own means for dealing with bacteria, and plants are not alternative hosts for gut bacteria of mammals and birds. Wash your vegetables if you are squeamish, and that's it.
I'd be far more worried about the effects of excessive chemical fertilizers and pesticides than about manure. Those effects persist after washing and cooking, too.
As I said at the beginning, carry on as you were. It is obviously working for you.
All that has been said in these posts, is really, that the more and varied organic material you can add, the better. Clay soil is already normally rich in nutrients, so all you need to do is to provide any plants with easy access to them.
The only other thing you may need to do is to buy a cheap soil testing kit. Adding organic material can have the effect of changing the pH of the soil.
Adding lime to a clay soil makes it flocculate, ie go lumpy. Sounds odd, but the lumps are tiny not great big clods. Clay is made up of tiny, flat plate like pieces which slide over each other when wet and stick together when dry. The organic material and the lime get in between the 'plates' and hold them apart, so they hold more moisture and so do not stick together.
A very simplistic explanation of a quite complex chemical and physical processes. Best of luck with your gardening. Our old clay soil grew the most fantastic crops once it was properly set up.
That`s what I read quite in depth in Geoff hamiltons book
practical gardening course clay if treated correctly can produce the best possible foundations for growing as it holds nutrients very well
but I was wanting to know if I could add anything else to the soil to give the best possible results but so far like I said it`s working what I`m doing in a very simplistic way.
Your right about lime yes from what I read it only also only really has any effect with the top soil.
Regarding the PH testing kit I saw a digital 1 on ebay that looks good for the job but again from Geoff`s book he recommends a chemical Ph kit as that provides better more accurate results also I have a Hydrangea which has the flowers as blue & I think from Monty the other week on GW he mentioned that if the flowers are blue then it`s acidic.
I`m not an expert at all & what I do know is by reading books & taking in advice all the time but what I lack in exp in gardening I more than make up for in passion & enthusiasm & I`m glad that I can ask Q`s to those with knowledge like yourself here so thank you
I was very fortunate many many years ago to be able to go on a 2 year Rural Studies course at Padgate College in Warrington (closed now I fear). We did a lot of gardening related stuff as well as rural type things (Bee keeping for one. "Oh no they don't sting" says the lecturer. "Ow" says I as my neck was attacked.).
Plus when I began 45 years ago my neighbour was a proper gardener and he passed on a long life time of observations, not just book learning.
This site is great for learning new things and keeping up to date too!
Posts
Well, perhaps I am just lucky in having almost always used manure from my own animals (although not always), but when I pick stuff from my garden I seldom even wash it, and yet, (aside from back ache this week) I am really healthy.
Lots of things you buy from the supermarket even in these sad chemical days, comes from manured fields.
I still enjoy raw vegetables (even from the supermarket). Unless you are immunodeficient or pregnant there aren't many nasty things you can catch from reasonably clean vegetables.
A truly healthy, living, active soil has its own means for dealing with bacteria, and plants are not alternative hosts for gut bacteria of mammals and birds. Wash your vegetables if you are squeamish, and that's it.
I'd be far more worried about the effects of excessive chemical fertilizers and pesticides than about manure. Those effects persist after washing and cooking, too.
or should I just carry on with my straw, chicken manure, compost, leaf mould *when it`s broken down*
I would like to keep everything as natural as possible you see.
As I said at the beginning, carry on as you were. It is obviously working for you.
All that has been said in these posts, is really, that the more and varied organic material you can add, the better. Clay soil is already normally rich in nutrients, so all you need to do is to provide any plants with easy access to them.
The only other thing you may need to do is to buy a cheap soil testing kit. Adding organic material can have the effect of changing the pH of the soil.
Adding lime to a clay soil makes it flocculate, ie go lumpy. Sounds odd, but the lumps are tiny not great big clods. Clay is made up of tiny, flat plate like pieces which slide over each other when wet and stick together when dry. The organic material and the lime get in between the 'plates' and hold them apart, so they hold more moisture and so do not stick together.
A very simplistic explanation of a quite complex chemical and physical processes. Best of luck with your gardening. Our old clay soil grew the most fantastic crops once it was properly set up.
That`s what I read quite in depth in Geoff hamiltons book
practical gardening course clay if treated correctly can produce the best possible foundations for growing as it holds nutrients very well
but I was wanting to know if I could add anything else to the soil to give the best possible results but so far like I said it`s working what I`m doing in a very simplistic way.
Your right about lime yes from what I read it only also only really has any effect with the top soil.
Regarding the PH testing kit I saw a digital 1 on ebay that looks good for the job but again from Geoff`s book he recommends a chemical Ph kit as that provides better more accurate results also I have a Hydrangea which has the flowers as blue & I think from Monty the other week on GW he mentioned that if the flowers are blue then it`s acidic.
I`m not an expert at all & what I do know is by reading books & taking in advice all the time but what I lack in exp in gardening I more than make up for in passion & enthusiasm & I`m glad that I can ask Q`s to those with knowledge like yourself here so thank you
I was very fortunate many many years ago to be able to go on a 2 year Rural Studies course at Padgate College in Warrington (closed now I fear). We did a lot of gardening related stuff as well as rural type things (Bee keeping for one. "Oh no they don't sting" says the lecturer. "Ow" says I as my neck was attacked.).
Plus when I began 45 years ago my neighbour was a proper gardener and he passed on a long life time of observations, not just book learning.
This site is great for learning new things and keeping up to date too!