Projects for the Autumn
We have found that if we want to get any ‘structural’ work done on the allotment it is best to use Autumn well. Once the wet weather really sets in rainy weekends can make full days of construction difficult. Spring is far from ideal for projects – you need to be planting so time spent in Autumn is very valuable.
Compost bins reconstructed with new lids – completed over the last 2 weeks. Spring bed preparation
‘No Dig’ Gardening
What is ‘No Dig’?
‘No dig’ gardening is just what it says on the tin—don’t dig! Composted mulches are laid on the top of the ground, for example compost or well-rotted manure. Traditional methods would recommend that these are ‘dug in’ by turning over the soil during spring to incorporate the organic matter into the structure of the soil.
What a load of old s***! Lets talk manure (and compost)
Animal dung (faeces) is a very traditional way of fertilising crops, but it can seem quite confusing! What manure is best to use on a vegetable garden? When should you add it? How much? What is the difference between manure and compost?
At Don’t Crop Me Now we predominately use composted horse manure to produce most of the mulch we use on our plots. We have a long-standing source of the manure that we are confident is weedkiller free (see Aminopyralid discussion below). Because we keep our own chickens we use their manure as component of our homemade compost. We have added guinea pig and rabbit manure/compost to our compost when we can source it. Recently I found a good few sacks of alpaca manure for a small donation to charity. I still have that stacked up in bags waiting for use!