Today I dug out one of my compost bays to plan zucchinis in. Unfortunately I need to keep everything protected from my dog so I though this was a temporary fix. So I will be doing the same with the second bay soon. All the scraps and cuttings are now in the one bay.
We had a heaps of bark and remains of trees we got a chipper in for about 8 months ago. And alot of it is now lovely compost. The rest is bark mulch. So everything is useful.
I spread some of the bark into the front garden. I will be doing some more of that with the second bay.
I kept some of the compost asside to make tea or to add to beds and the rest was used for the zuchs. I cracked open my cane mulch I got on the weekend.
I also planted out my leb cucumbers into my addition to our little garden.
I'm thining tonight I might try to plant some more seedlings. Try to get some of these bloody beans to germinate and not rot (too much water :() And maybe some capsicums. And Bok Choi.
I'm trying to keep this bit of momentum going. It is spring afterall :)
Here is a Gardening Australia Fact Sheet on Compost Tea
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2002063.htm
I've got a little bit of comfrey tea brewing out the front.
Wiki info on comfrey as fertilizer.
"
Fertilizer uses
Comfrey is a particularly valuable source of fertility to the organic gardener. It is very deep rooted and acts as a dynamic accumulator, mining a host of nutrients from the soil. These are then made available through its fast growing leaves (up to 4-5 pounds per plant per cut) which, lacking fibre, quickly break down to a thick black liquid. There is also no risk of nitrogen robbery when comfrey is dug into the soil as the C:N ratio of the leaves is lower than that of well-rotted compost. Comfrey is an excellent source of potassium, an essential plant nutrient needed for flower, seeds and fruit production. Its leaves contain 2-3 times more potassium than farmyard manure, mined from deep in the subsoil, tapping into reserves that would not normally be available to plants.
There are various ways in which comfrey can be utilised as a fertiliser, these include:
- Comfrey for potatoes - freshly cut comfrey should be wilted for a day or two, then laid along potato trenches about 2 inches deep. Avoid using flowering stems as these can root. The leaves will rapidly break down and supply potassium rich fertiliser for the developing potato plants.
- Comfrey as a compost activator- include 2-3 inch deep layers of comfrey in the compost heap to encourage bacterial activity and help to heat the heap. Comfrey should not be added in quantity as it will quickly break down into a dark sludgey liquid that needs to be balanced with more fibrous, carbon rich material.
- Comfrey liquid fertiliser- can be produced by either rotting leaves down in rainwater for 4-5 weeks to produce a ready to use ‘comfrey tea’, or by stacking dry leaves under a weight in a container with a hole in the base. When the leaves decompose a thick black comfrey concentrate is collected. This must be diluted at 15:1 before use.
- Comfrey as a mulch- a 2 inch layer of comfrey leaves placed around a crop will slowly break down and release plant nutrients. it is especially useful for crops that need extra potassium, such as tomatoes, and also fruit bushes like gooseberries and currants.
- Comfrey potting mixture- originally devised using peat, environmental awareness has led to a leaf mold-based alternative being adopted instead. Two year old, well decayed leaf mold should be used, this will absorb the nutrient-rich liquid released by the decaying comfrey.
- In a black plastic sack alternate 3-4 inch layers of leaf mould and chopped comfrey leaves. Add a little dolomitic limestone to slightly raise pH. Leave for between 2-5 months depending on the season, checking that it does not dry out or become too wet. The mixture is ready when the comfrey leaves have rotted and are no longer visible. Use as a general potting compost, although it is too strong for seedlings."
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