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Gardening

I once planted the vanilla species plant as the spot plant in the centre of a paved area in a very sunny, very hot, garden. What a mistake! This thing grew incredibly fast, after about 3 years it as at least 5 feet tall, and thick.

You have to keep them tidy. Their main use is for colour I think.

Landscaping plants really, I think, and they aren't user-friendly either.

Probably the most impressive ones that I have ever seen were growing at the end of someone's drive, in Devon. The front of the garden ended in a lowish stone wall and the front garden sloped up to the house. The plants were just away from the wall and surrounded by large stones/gravel, and lawn. They sort of towered over the country lane. The leaves were nothing special but they did flower - maybe 8 foot spikes. Impressive specimen plants.
 
Yes the site has running water , I was advised to try and get a 1000 ltr IBC container , Put a wanted add on Freecycle , The next day I collected one that was used for garden water , Result :rolleyes:

Perfect! You want to be able to just dunk the can in and fill it quickly not to stand there forever waiting while it dribbles out of a tap.
 
That shouldn't be the case in Lancs! In the east of East Anglia we do have an excuse! Apart from my hose not stretching to the back of my growing area, I hate using metered water; also, it's the wrong type of water compared to grey water.

Yup; seems to be we've got the warm, dry weather here... It tries to rain but that's about it

And agree; all the veg & greenhouse reacts much better to the water butt water rather than out the tap; more so when you run it hard and you can smell the chlorine!
 
And agree; all the veg & greenhouse reacts much better to the water butt water rather than out the tap; more so when you run it hard and you can smell the chlorine!

Chlorine? Didn't know; thought fluoride was the additive in many areas. If you keep chickens and give them chlorinated water you can beat the Americans at their own game !:)
 
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Chlorine? Didn't know; thought fluoride was the additive in many areas. If you keep chickens and give then chlorinated water you can beat the Americans at their own game !:)

Well that's what it smells like; like a faint bleach/swimming pool water. Bloody horrible!
 
I had a quick look at the end of the plot , I will inherit a fig tree , Apple tree , Pear tree , The plot also has a dilapidated shed , Some raised beds not made from railway sleepers , Looks more like 18mm timber and a galvanised gate , The plot is one that you can park a vehicle in , Not many of them have this and you then need to park in the car park and carry everything too your plot , One down side , The outgoing plot holders wanted £150 for the gate , shed and raised beds , Err no say I , I will offer £100 , They accepted .
I can do some photos if anyone is intrested .
 
I also have the option of as many pallets as I want , and as much horse poo as I need , Both free
The local stables are pleased to get rid of it and will deliver to site , Cheaper than a skip at £350 a time .
 
Chlorine? Didn't know; thought fluoride was the additive in many areas. If you keep chickens and give then chlorinated water you can beat the Americans at their own game !:)

A bit of chlorine, enough to damage the soil bacteria I should think
 
I also have the option of as many pallets as I want , and as much horse poo as I need , Both free
The local stables are pleased to get rid of it and will deliver to site , Cheaper than a skip at £350 a time .

Horse manure free (at point of collection?) but £350 to deliver? That's one heck of a difference. I used to fill the car with equestrian poo, bagged by me or 50p already bagged for pick-up. Come the autumn I need to investigate local sources again 'cos spreading it over the winter, along with other garden waste, really enriches the soil. Worms have continuous orgasmic parties and do their essential bit in the cycle of horticulture.
 
My comment re the skip . Its what the stables would need to pay to get rid of the poo , so they deliver it to the allotment for free
 
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I had a quick look at the end of the plot , I will inherit a fig tree , Apple tree , Pear tree , The plot also has a dilapidated shed , Some raised beds not made from railway sleepers , Looks more like 18mm timber and a galvanised gate , The plot is one that you can park a vehicle in , Not many of them have this and you then need to park in the car park and carry everything too your plot , One down side , The outgoing plot holders wanted £150 for the gate , shed and raised beds , Err no say I , I will offer £100 , They accepted .
I can do some photos if anyone is intrested .
That sounds kosher, ability to park your car on the doorstep is a bonus,
perked my interest again, looking forward to pics.:)
 
Care elaborate Gav?, I was thinking of getting some from stables for my small border in the autumn.

Aminopyralid weedkillers (Gallop, Grazeon), which are used on grasslands. The horses eat the grass and when the manure is then used, the residue remains. It stunts the growth of new plants making them very weak and looking yellow and missing vital elements. Even commercial composts have been tainted - it's been a bit of a scandal over the past few years. It's always wise these days to test a batch of compost or manure first with a few seeds!

https://www.quickcrop.co.uk/blog/recognising-aminopyralid-weedkiller-contamination-in-manure
 
Care to elaborate Gav?, I was thinking of getting some from stables for my small border in the autumn.

For such a small plot I'd say this was borderline, WCP. ;) I've no doubt about Gav's claims, and over a number of years, with manure from 3 different locations, I have had unwelcome weed introductions; however, none which was a real problem. If one can mature the manure (!) in a compost heap, the heat despatches many such weeds. Spreading it over plots for a winter also tends to sort out the crap from the creeper, as it were.
 
Aminopyralid weedkillers (Gallop, Grazeon), which are used on grasslands. The horses eat the grass and when the manure is then used, the residue remains. It stunts the growth of new plants making them very weak and looking yellow and missing vital elements. Even commercial composts have been tainted - it's been a bit of a scandal over the past few years. It's always wise these days to test a batch of compost or manure first with a few seeds!

https://www.quickcrop.co.uk/blog/recognising-aminopyralid-weedkiller-contamination-in-manure

Also oilseed rape straw, we sell ours for horse bedding and no one has ever asked about herbicides used.

The instructions on the herbicide label (Astrokerb) are very clear but you need a very strong pair of glasses to read all of it.

I had traces in one bag of compost this year so tomatoes are looking bad and some beans died, courgettes didn't like it either.

Definitely test each new batch with a sensitive species.
 
Manure and compost are light-years apart.

Manure is a mix of bedding and droppings from stock, whether that be from horses, cattle, poultry, or whatever.

Manure is completely uncomposted and is a haven for the rotters in the environment - fungi and bacteria in the main. In essentially all cases, manures are not high enough in nitrogen for optimum rotter growth - hence compost promoters such as Garrota (if that still exists). In actual fact, ammonium sulphate (sulpahte of ammonia) is excellent (as is urea (pee). If manure is added to soil, it robs nitrogen from the soil due to rotter growth.

MANY seeds are actually adapted to pass through digestive systems, unaffected.

Compost has been decomposed and is very little more than humus. In ideal conditions, bacteria "run riot" and get the material to 50-60-70C. But you do need a big enough heap and ideally it needs insulating to reduce heat loss.

Interesting - leaf-mould is composted almost entirely by fungi, which operate at cool temperatures.

Never use manure as a mulch. Compost it.
Certainly around here,many stables are very, very happy to see manure removed for free.
 


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