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Contaminated manure
Most of us will be aware of the problems caused by manure contaminated by aminopyralid, a weedkiller used on pasture and grassland. Gardening Which? advises that any residue from last season should have broken down if the manure was dug into the soil and regularly turned. If the manure has been left in a heap, it could still be contaminated.
The advice given is to avoid manure from animals fed on grassland (including silage or haylage) treated with Forefront, Pharoah or Damage. or conduct the following test suggested by Dow Agrosciences, who make this weedkiller test.
Thoroughly mix 1 part manure to 1 part multi-purpose compost in a clean bucket. Mix enough to fill four 5 inch pots
Fill another four pots with just the multi-purpose compost. These are the control pots.
Place each pot on a separate saucer to make sure there is no cross-contamination when watering.
Water the pots thoroughly and leave to stand for 24 hours.
Plant each pot with four broad bean seeds.
Monitor the growth over a four-week period.
Peas, beans and potatoes are particularly susceptable to damage from this weedkiller so if the manure is contaminated, the beans in the manured pots should show signs of distorted leaves on the new shoots.
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The centre tube from toilet rolls make good pots for seeds that like a long root run such as sweetcorn. To prevent the compost from falling straight through when filling them, make a paper pot for them by wrapping a 3 inch strip of newspaper around one end with about one inch overhang. Roughly fold the overhang across the bottom of the tube as if wrapping a present. |
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Plastic bottles with the bottom cut off can be used a mini cloches for young plant and can help protect them from cutworms and slugs if pushed well down into the ground.
Or use them to water plants such as tomatoes. Drill a hole in the bottle lid and push the bottle into the ground, lid first, next to plant. Fill the bottle with water and the plant roots will get the water. |
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Use vinegar to sooth wasp stings and bicarbonate of soda for bees. An easy way to remember is Winegar for Wasps and Bicarb for Bees. |
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Old tights can be used to store onions or cut into strips and used to tie in tomatoes etc. |
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Benecol bottles make good cane toppers. Cut a cross in the lid and push onto the cane. You can also put a note in the bottle to keep details of the seeds sown and when they were sown. |
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A good four-year rotation plan is Pots, Legs, Bras and Roots, or Year 1 - potatoes; Year 2 - peas and beans (legumes); Year 3 - the cabbage family (brassicas) and Year 4 - roots. |
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