Compost Purchase and Turkey Manure

Compost Shopping

Loathe as I am to set foot in a supermarket, I don’t mind visiting some outlets and so to Taylors garden supplies on the way back from the doctor. Just checking I still have blood and it has pressure.

After a mooch around I came away with 3 60 ltr bags of Westlands multi-purpose compost for ?7.97 and an 80 ltr bag of SHL seed compost, which I am assured is top quality, for ?6.49. Following some comments in the forums, I thought I’d see if a quality seed compost makes much difference.

Unfortunately they are out of large bags of lime but there’s no great hurry, next week will do.

Shovelling It

Down to the plot for a couple of hours this afternoon. The first job was to grab some of the turkey litter mountain before it goes. I have a large green reinforced bag with about twice the capacity of the wheelbarrow so each journey with the barrow gives me at least two barrowloads. I can’t fill the bag full because I just can’t lift it, hence it gets between half and two thirds full.

So twelve barrow loads to plot 5 and 4 to plot29 took just over an hour. The ammonia smell is so strong and using the shovel gets you breathing hard. I stopped when I hit a rich seam and was nearly sick.

I’m still not certain what is going where on the plots but I know where the potatoes are going on plot 5 so that’s where the litter went. It does help lighten the soil and if it acidifies the soil it doesn’t matter as potatoes are the one vegetable that likes a lowish ph.

I put plot 29’s onto the patch where brassicas grew last year. I may barrow some more over as my take didn’t make a dent in the mountain.

Digging

Having had enough of the smelly stuff, did a little more digging on plot 5. Only about 2 square yards but I was feeling tired and a little sick so back to the ranch when it was still light!

Weather

Despite the weather forcast claiming a mild frost, it was pretty cold here last night, so the heaters on in the greenhouse full time. It still dropped to 7 degrees last night in there. I’ll be sowing seeds in the next few days as will Val be sowing some of those flower things!