I have had some from my local recycling centre and it does always seem to be on the dry side. I use it as a mulch and it tends to stay on the top, and the worms don't seem to take it down. Of course it does get mixed in with the soil when I prepare the ground for the next crop. Turned some ground over this morning which had been quite heavily covered with it, and it has disappeared, but I am quite pleased with the soil structure that seems to be improving. The soil in the fields is very light and sandy, so I have been trying for a long time to improve it with compost. I cannot produce enough compost despite my best efforts, but what I can seems to produce better results than the stuff from the council.
Enjoying the good weather.... Rapberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, climbing beans, spinach, chard, broccoli, coriander, fenugreek, onions,garlic, horseradish,( rhubarb....) All in the ground etc.... But so dry here... one light shower in weeks....
Had this problem years ago in Australia - the head gardener at the local council fixed it for us - he used to host gardening programs on TV and radio, as well as write a weekend column in the local paper. In our case, the problem was the way we were composting - just chucking stuff in a bin and not turning it. Uncomposted material sitting on top of soil or partially composted material apparently releases a waxy substance as it breaks down - and as it drains through, it coats everything underneath, meaning it becomes water-resistant. To fix it, he had us transfer it to a rotating composting bin, and water it a few times with a mixture of washing up liquid and water - one tablespoon per gallon of water. I don't know if that is possible for you, but may be worth a try.
I have just created a small veg bed in my garden in case there is a potato famine. One bit has been dug the other is no dig, we'll see. Tatty barrels set up an sorted, those old council recycling boxes very handy (the big ones for bottles). Could do with some rain.
Given up on tatties here Scully. Put them in the ground, bags or barrels and they never amount to much. Not just me failing, but a common tale. Seed potatoes here are smaller than the ones in the UK and I am not sure if that has something to do with it, or less rain and higher temperatures. Went to a garden in Middlesex years ago where they never dug, just kept topping the whole garden up with peat. Not acceptable these days, bit mulching to a heavy level with other materials may well work.
Raining here this morning... And i clicked on a local nursery Web site and ordered a load of plants.. Probably way too many.. But at least it keeps me busy and active..
Anyone know what these weeds are, and how to get rid of them? Weedkiller won't work on either of them. The first one seems to be an expert at hiding under the foliage of other plants and by the time it shows itself, the roots are too deep to simply pull out. The second one, growing over the stones - seems to be some sort of ground cover which spreads everywhere and chokes every plant it comes near.
The plant on the left looks like a buttercup but the picture is not great, yellow flowers? I find these easy and satisfying to weed with a trowel, don't let it seed. Which plant are you referring to on the right, the green matted stuff? That looks like moss and with the wet winter we have had it has had a field day, I can harvest tons of the stuff at present. You just have to pull it out, gently if around other plants, or if it is bad, dig the plant up and get all the moss out and replant it. Moss killer would sort it but it may not be good for the other lovely rock plants around it.
I have started using the SEEK app. Thanks to Chris Packham. It is free and you point your camera at a plant and it tells you what it is. Used it today on our walk and we were impressed... Point it at any plant you don't know.. And.. Hey presto....
I was thinking about that.. Think it will as so many plants are similar across northern Europe.. Really worth trying. It also does trees and creatures birds mammals, fungi etc
Will give it a try. There are some fungi growing in a tub with some geraniums that I overwintered. Bit dark to try now.
I tried a similar app last year - Plant Net from memory - but found two problems. If you live somewhere where 4G is patchy at best, as I do, it doesn't work - and the screen on my smartphone goes blank in sunlight.
Had a look at it in Google Play and, yes, it is a download. It doesn't have good reviews though - and, as it's a download, it must surely take up a lot of memory on the phone?
