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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 18 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I take a few leaves from each plant and let them carry on growing. I think the more common way is to take the head off completely, but my way keeps them harvesting all the time.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 18 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I've never harvested the entire top off of a kale plant, unless I was expecting it to die anyway (or it was "baby kale" meant to be cut only once)

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 18 8:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Commercially they take the tops, but I suppose they only want the one crop.

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 19 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Please can someone help me?

I've got two of the Dalek compost bins on the go, both of which have horse manure in them. Am I okay to also put veg cuttings in there?

Thanks.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 19 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

yes, good idea, add some soil for extra bacteria and fungi etc.

if you can mix some bulky airy stuff in to give more air. even shredded paper can help if you have no twigs etc

a few ounces of chicken manure in a bucket of water will frisk it up no end.

if you can get the bins in the sun they will ferment to compost more quickly.

i dont know how full they are but i might empty one and use the near raw manure for a pumpkin growing out from a covered heap and then use it on beds etc
then
top up the part full one asap and get it fermenting, then start filling the empty one so as to get them out of phase.

predicting how long it will take is hard but a sequence of composts is the best use of bit at a time resources.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 19 7:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Someone who is keen on using charcoal in compost said he layered manure, green waste and charcoal and his crops grew like triffids. Definitely use green waste too, and as Dpack says, some twiggy stuff if you can to open it up a bit.

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 19 10:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thank you both for your help. I'll get shifting things around.

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 19 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

For all you lettuce growers out there, what variety do you grow? I currently have Iceberg in my salads but I'd like something a bit more exciting.

Thanks.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 19 8:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I grow the sort that you can cut and come again. You usually get several different varieties in one seed packet, so you get green and red lettuce and several different leaf shapes. They are convenient as you don't have to have a whole lettuce at once, and if they are treated well, they will go on for several months.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 19 2:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

sgt.colon wrote:
For all you lettuce growers out there, what variety do you grow? I currently have Iceberg in my salads but I'd like something a bit more exciting.

Thanks.


For practicality I usually sow lettuce mixes that I cut and cut again a couple times (and don't forget to sow successions - better to give away excess than feel the burning cheeks of buying lettuce mix from the grocery in mid-summer)

For head lettuce, my go to is often a nice buttercrunch (AKA butterhead/Boston/bibb), like 'Ermosa' or 'Adriana' though I'm considering 'Nancy' for this year

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 19 5:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thank you MR and Slim. To the seed shop I go.

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 19 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

With my chicken manure and fish, blood and bone, can I sprinkle it directly onto my beds and then dig it in? If so, how much should I put on a 3'x10' bed?

Thanks.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 19 10:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

application - yes

amount - depends. What are the nutrient demands of your crops. what's NPK of the fertilizers. How much organic matter and latent fertility is already in the soil?

On a large farm you try to really get those numbers down pat. In a garden you can make some best guesses - or go with the idea that you'll put as much fertility in as you expect to take out with your crop.

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 19 11:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Oh it all sounds a little complicated. How do I know what crop wants what, Slim?

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 19 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Well, here in New England we have a guide that will give fertility recommendations for common vegetable crops: https://nevegetable.org/crops
And more general cultural practices here: https://nevegetable.org/cultural-practices
The entire guide will be updated soon - gets re-printed every two years, though most things don't change too much.

You may want to look for a UK equivalent

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