How Does Your Garden Grow?

[DAPPH]

Can You Put Mulch Over Grass? (Do's and Don'ts)

Can You Put Mulch Over Grass? What mulch do you put over grass? How do you put mulch over it? Read on for this and more mulching tips.

bestmulchingtips.com

I wouldn’t use Leylandii clippings, would take forever to rot down. Apart from B&Q and garden centres there are usually local suppliers of rotted manure, bark chippings and the like quite reasonably priced. Bulbs will probably make their way through so saving you having to dig them up.

I put the less than 2 inch branches off 15 off 25 foot Leylandi through my shredder , The resultant shredded pulp went into 16 or so heavy duty rubble sacks with a pint of home brew liquid manure & a cup of sodium sulphamate aka a composting accelerator , then zip tied them up & left them in a stack for four years .,. it's come out as beautiful rich slightly woody compost .

 

[Greeves246]

Dapph, I see from the parcels thread that you recently bought a lot of Irish peat, was going to ask where from but I’ve just found some locally I think. Tried the peat free compost, not very successful if I’m honest so going to mix some with peat whilst I can still get it. All the garden centres and B&Q only stock peat free nowadays and whilst I agree with not using peat from England I have no problem with using what the Irish were burning in their power stations until recently. Take it you use it quite liberally.

 

[DAPPH]

Got it direct about 2 yrs ago from the Irish seller shipped to Fishguard and off loaded from 2 ton tailboard lift and electric forklift IIC 20 bales cost £ 15 or so each
I seem to recall it was their own truck supplying nurseries etc.

Look on eBay for the seller , I contacted them and asked about a pallet load You still get the occasional seeds of " Welsh Corn " sprouting in the sedge peat aka reed mace

eBay item number:235298488445
Their address is shown on the picture of the bale of peat .

 

[Keith 66]

Re peat free compost, our local horticultural society got a load of peat free multipurpose compost in last spring. It was quite fibrous but mixed 50 / 50 with our homemade compost worked really well. The chillies & greenhouse plants loved it.
I will definately use it again.

 

[Greeves246]

Bought some Bloom n Gro multipurpose compost, 100% Irish peat at £5 for 56lt bag this morning. Apparently legal for them to sell it, legal for me to have it but illegal to use it. Only Whitehall could dream that up. Says on bag “ Not for professional use”. That’s ok then I’m an amateur.

 

[DAPPH]

Bought some Bloom n Gro multipurpose compost, 100% Irish peat at £5 for 56lt bag this morning. Apparently legal for them to sell it, legal for me to have it but illegal to use it. Only Whitehall could dream that up. Says on bag “ Not for professional use”. That’s ok then I’m an amateur.

Where did you buy from //link or address please ...we are due to buy a pallet of it . Wet 100 litre bales are some what heavy .

 

[Greeves246]

I bought mine at

Compost, Peat and Top Soil J M Garden and electrical - Horticulture and Hardwear Supplies

We have an extensive background in allotment supplies and stock a large range of top quality composts, both peat based and peat free from a large range of suppliers, peat and top soil. Available to order online for delivery.

www.jmgardenandelectrical.co.uk

But pallet from these people are available

Bloom & Gro Multi-Purpose 56ltr - Gro Well Direct

Green Leaf Bloom & Gro Multi-Purpose 56ltr This compost is manufactured from 100% Irish Peat. Suitable for bedding plants, pot plants, tubs and containers. Contains wetting agents and all the essential nutrients for optimum plant performance.

gro-welldirect.co.uk

 

[oldbikedavey]

Peat is apparently a useful additive for foundry sands , and replaces horse dung in loam moulding.
It's the fibrosity of the stuff that is sought after in order to increase the tensile strength of the sand.
Seems fair enough.....

 

[Onoff]

Ripped out this years runner beans and butternut squash plants. Started digging trenches for the new beans later in the year. Got a load of cherry leaves and kitchen veg waste / compost to go in:

https://flic.kr/p/2qBeZPX

https://flic.kr/p/2qBg9d5

https://flic.kr/p/2qBgaKz

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Ripped out this years runner beans and butternut squash plants.

I have much the same job to do at the allotment...think I'll leave it till after Christmas. Going to cover mine until the spring to prevent growth of weeds etc....I found a good membrane on flabby that seem to last very well.

 

[Onoff]

I found a good membrane on flabby

Got a link?

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

It's this stuff...I've found it lasts very well.

 

[Greeves246]

Was going to line the base of my new raised beds but realised that if it stopped weeds it would also prevent the worms getting in so gave it a miss.

 

[Onoff]

Was going to line the base of my new raised beds but realised that if it stopped weeds it would also prevent the worms getting in so gave it a miss.

Thinking a shallow base of cardboard in my 18" deep, 8" wide bean trench might be OK though? Read somewhere suggesting it. Guess it's meant to form a spongy, water retaining layer.

 

[Greeves246]

Thinking a shallow base of cardboard in my 18" deep, 8" wide bean trench might be OK though? Read somewhere suggesting it. Guess it's meant to form a spongy, water retaining layer.

Clean brown cardboard, no plastic coating , would be fine. Probably suppress weeds long enough before it biodegrades. Local council accept clean cardboard in the green garden waste bin so it’s going to recycling. I’ve put shreddded paper in my compost bin and it’s disappeared when it’s emptied.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I was always worried about stuff in the ink...no idea if inks are safe (never looked into it).

Plenty of folk on the allotment use cardboard...but they also use tyres too!

 

[Shiny Steve]

Paper mached one of my veggie patch’s today. I’m going for a no dig approach next year so this is getting a good covering of compost.

 

[Shiny Steve]

Not a bad amount of parsnips and beetroot, leaks aren’t doing too well though.

 

[Onoff]

Tea bags...where do we stand on tea bags in compost?

I've read they contain a proportion of plastic and am genuinely concerned about introducing micro plastics into my soil that I could maybe avoid.

Think it might depend on the brand.

On our Sainsbury's Red Label it just says "pop in your food waste bin". On the recently bought Tesco, red box, "Original Tea" it clearly states "all our tea bags are now made from plant based material".

That suggests to me there perhaps was as problem but that the responsible manufacturers have addressed it.

 

[richie00boy]

I would recommend ripping teabags open and discarding the bag, compost only the leaves.

A few years ago, I sifted through the growing boxes/compost bins that the previous owner of our house had been using. I'd guess that the contents would have been 2-5 years old. I found lots of teabag casings and eggshells. So these don't rot down at all.