Hello people! I hope this video helps you. This is the allotment when I first took it on, you will also find some helpful links in the description box and you can see how the allotment came to be in its present way. My New Allotment! Essex UK. ua-cam.com/video/A9r9ah5qCtM/v-deo.html
Lots of info and reminders for me! I really enjoy your gardening style as I am gardening in a similar style and I thank you for so much info but not overwhelming me!!
After 1-1/2 years out here in North Dakota straw seems to be the most readily available stuff for mulch then eventually compost. What I've been using is the wheat straw and so far germination of the grain that remains does not seem to be a problem. This year I'm putting a good foot down in some new areas and what does not break down by spring I will chop it up with the lawn mower. ---------- All the years I gardened back in Rhode Island there was not an abundance of straw so I would use the tree leaves. I was surrounded by deep forest much of which ended up in the yard so I would mow a few times mixing it with the grass. Of course this would even bring down the already low PH so you had to be patient until it totally broke down. ------ I guess we all use what we have, I agree to keep buying compost and mulch will break the bank. (who knows maybe the last bowl of cereal you had came from N. Dakota)
I live close to a race course & it's surrounded by a lot of stables.They put the manure in bags & put it on the verge for people to take. Hi from Western Australia 🦘.
Hi Dan, thanks for this. I inherited a load of plastic membrane when I took on my plot but am now actually trying to get rid of it because I am a bit concerned about micro plastics leaching into the soil and I keep finding threads of it hiding in the soil. It is a gradual process because as you say, buying in compost as a mulch is expensive and making your own takes time, but I am getting there bit by bit. Woodchips are a great resource and tree surgeons and sometime councils will deliver them in bulk for free …
very useful eco beds I placed few inches dry cardboard down at bottom and around insides were horse muck fills to around half way then about 2 to 4inch layer of soil/broken down compost, few handful of worms another single layer cardboard and finally 2inch layer of soil, I let it sit for a month to cook before I let seeds start incase roots get burnt, I then planted into bed and placed bucket of super soil mix along top and pushed into straw to plant nasturtiums to cover top edge of straw bed , gotta say it filled out rightly, now as winter approaches it's has since then been stripped down and used as a vermi worm composter/ also few bags of worm poop taken out for the rest of the garden. Just a pity they don't last a couple seasons✌️
That was amazing video clip you put together there off what you a doing there on your lotment it was great to see it there and watch it there Dan an keep up the amazing video clip there it is all way good to lean something different there 👍👍
Love a good composting video. We should all be composting. I use a lot of sugar cane in my compost and as a mulch. I'm in Australia and it's a readily available by-product of our sugar cane industry, and it's weed free!! 💙💚🤎🌏🌱🍃🌿🖐
That can definitely occur. I intend to plant this area up around May time so lifting the cover off April time could hopefully make them "homeless" before planting!
I still recon you should look into vermiculture. That orange container is ideal exactly as it is. Just add worms. You must have plenty of compost worms in your heaps. Of all the videos of yours I’ve watched (all of them) it’s the one thing you don’t do that I think is right up your street. And you get the best natural organic fertiliser known to man.
@@homegardens7682 I have four farms, two commercial stacking systems, waste of money even though they work well. Two home made from totes like your orange one, they cost nothing and work as well if not a damn site better than the stacking ones. Looking forward to watching your videos on the subject.
Hi Dan, This is a very timely video for me, as I have finally acquired an allotment! 😀 It has raised beds, a greenhouse and a walk in fruit cage! Previous tenant had not worked it for months, due to illness, so there were weeds 3ft high, but I've made a start clearing them and have already filled a compost bin with them. Paths are mostly pebbles laid on weed suppressant, but due to so many weeds pushing through in clumps there are holes everywhere so I think I will need to relay fabric at some point. In my garden I cover beds with weed suppressant for winter, but the foxes tend to dig through it, unless I cover it with wire mesh. Maybe I need to buy the thicker stuff you are using on your plot - do you find that it's clawproof?
Hi - thanks for this video. Where you are proposing to plant some fruit trees/bushes, are you going to suppress the grass/weeds or just plant into them? If suppressing, how will you go about that?
Hi Dan, Good to see your progress from when we first met a couple years back at Fillpots GC. Not gardening related but what mic do you use as it’s got a good crisp sound but without much background noise. Cheers
Greetings, its the Sony ECMW1M, its a blutooth mic that clips to my camera and the receiver goes on your shirt or somewhere, it was discontinued when I wanted the mic so I had to order it on Ebay from Japan. My camera is a Sony a6000. Great to hear from you.
@@homegardens7682 Thanks for that Dan, I’ll have to take a look at it. I’m now managing a garden centre in Chelmsford, Abercorn plant and garden centre, if you’re ever passing. We generally have a very good range of fruit bushes, trees, seeds etc.
@@homegardens7682. Yes things have certainly been a little challenging over the last 18ish months. Been very busy though which is good, especially with so many new people taking up gardening for the first time. Encouraging to see so much interest in our horticultural industry.
A large subject, I will be making a video on this.This may help. 10 great fruits to grow in cold climates! | Permaculture | Food forest | Growing fruit ua-cam.com/video/hXL9VpqMFW8/v-deo.html
@@homegardens7682 That is quite affordable, times 20 years that gives less than £1000 which is wonderful if they keep the prices this value. This way, I don't see the usefulness of buying a personal plot of land, for tens of thousand ponds. Wondering if there is water for irrigation too.
@@stelviodelbrava6218 Yes there is water in troughs attached to the mains. The cost of land in the UK is prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of people. An entire subject on its own....either way, allotments are great.
Hey Dan! You said 50/50 green to brown ratio in the compost, is that weight, volume or something else? I'm interested in this topic because I could save a fortune on compost purchases. Anyway thanks for everything so far. Keep up the good videos. Cheers m8!
@@homegardens7682 I get the 50/50 aspect, but are you talking volume then? My last batch which was 50/50 by volume, broke down pretty well the greens into mud, but the twigs were mostly still in form. I just threw them down on the soil surface anyway because they were on the verge of rotting & I thought along the lines of Huggel culture. I'm fairly new to gardening, so all advice is welcome. Cheers m8!
@@daviedodds3050 Yes, about half and half. I am not too strict regarding ratios, just roughly. Twigs take a bit longer to break down. Cardboard and grass clippings can make great compost. Grass green (Nitrogen), cardboard brown (Carbon).
Hello people! I hope this video helps you. This is the allotment when I first took it on, you will also find some helpful links in the description box and you can see how the allotment came to be in its present way. My New Allotment! Essex UK. ua-cam.com/video/A9r9ah5qCtM/v-deo.html
I like listening to you while I'm working.👍🏻
Cool. Keep working!
@@homegardens7682 👍🏻
Lots of info and reminders for me! I really enjoy your gardening style as I am gardening in a similar style and I thank you for so much info but not overwhelming me!!
Enjoy!
I like the idea of growing pumpkins on your compost / manure pile to save space and time, I may try that next year.
It certainly worked here!
After 1-1/2 years out here in North Dakota straw seems to be the most readily available stuff for mulch then eventually compost. What I've been using is the wheat straw and so far germination of the grain that remains does not seem to be a problem. This year I'm putting a good foot down in some new areas and what does not break down by spring I will chop it up with the lawn mower. ---------- All the years I gardened back in Rhode Island there was not an abundance of straw so I would use the tree leaves. I was surrounded by deep forest much of which ended up in the yard so I would mow a few times mixing it with the grass. Of course this would even bring down the already low PH so you had to be patient until it totally broke down. ------ I guess we all use what we have, I agree to keep buying compost and mulch will break the bank. (who knows maybe the last bowl of cereal you had came from N. Dakota)
I think so! I think a lot of wheat here is from the US.
I live close to a race course & it's surrounded by a lot of stables.They put the manure in bags & put it on the verge for people to take. Hi from Western Australia 🦘.
Greetings to Western Australia! Great about the manure.
Thank you for telling us all about this gardening cool 😎.
Take it easy and enjoy your day & night Dan 😃😊
My pleasure Chloe, same to you.
Hi Dan, thanks for this. I inherited a load of plastic membrane when I took on my plot but am now actually trying to get rid of it because I am a bit concerned about micro plastics leaching into the soil and I keep finding threads of it hiding in the soil. It is a gradual process because as you say, buying in compost as a mulch is expensive and making your own takes time, but I am getting there bit by bit. Woodchips are a great resource and tree surgeons and sometime councils will deliver them in bulk for free …
I have heard about this possible concern. I intend to move to natural covers over time.
Dan those straw raised beds are excellent for a double whammy, raised bed and mushroom media for oyster or wine cap✌️
Yes, I intend to build more.
very useful eco beds I placed few inches dry cardboard down at bottom and around insides were horse muck fills to around half way then about 2 to 4inch layer of soil/broken down compost, few handful of worms another single layer cardboard and finally 2inch layer of soil, I let it sit for a month to cook before I let seeds start incase roots get burnt, I then planted into bed and placed bucket of super soil mix along top and pushed into straw to plant nasturtiums to cover top edge of straw bed , gotta say it filled out rightly, now as winter approaches it's has since then been stripped down and used as a vermi worm composter/ also few bags of worm poop taken out for the rest of the garden. Just a pity they don't last a couple seasons✌️
That was amazing video clip you put together there off what you a doing there on your lotment it was great to see it there and watch it there Dan an keep up the amazing video clip there it is all way good to lean something different there 👍👍
Cheers Mick. Nice to hear from you again.
Love a good composting video. We should all be composting. I use a lot of sugar cane in my compost and as a mulch. I'm in Australia and it's a readily available by-product of our sugar cane industry, and it's weed free!! 💙💚🤎🌏🌱🍃🌿🖐
I imagine the worms love the sugar as well!
Hi Dan, great idea to put the grass clippings under the membrane. One question I have is, do you find slugs and snails lurking beneath at all?
That can definitely occur. I intend to plant this area up around May time so lifting the cover off April time could hopefully make them "homeless" before planting!
I still recon you should look into vermiculture. That orange container is ideal exactly as it is. Just add worms. You must have plenty of compost worms in your heaps. Of all the videos of yours I’ve watched (all of them) it’s the one thing you don’t do that I think is right up your street. And you get the best natural organic fertiliser known to man.
This is on the to do list. I may get round to it this Winter.
@@homegardens7682 I have four farms, two commercial stacking systems, waste of money even though they work well. Two home made from totes like your orange one, they cost nothing and work as well if not a damn site better than the stacking ones. Looking forward to watching your videos on the subject.
@@HedgewitchHoney Yes, I have seen them made from bath tubs as well.
Hi Dan, This is a very timely video for me, as I have finally acquired an allotment! 😀 It has raised beds, a greenhouse and a walk in fruit cage! Previous tenant had not worked it for months, due to illness, so there were weeds 3ft high, but I've made a start clearing them and have already filled a compost bin with them. Paths are mostly pebbles laid on weed suppressant, but due to so many weeds pushing through in clumps there are holes everywhere so I think I will need to relay fabric at some point.
In my garden I cover beds with weed suppressant for winter, but the foxes tend to dig through it, unless I cover it with wire mesh. Maybe I need to buy the thicker stuff you are using on your plot - do you find that it's clawproof?
Cool! Tracy, I have put my email in the description box towards the bottom. If you get time, drop me an email.
@@homegardens7682 Hi Dan, I've just sent you an email. All tips gratefully received! ☺
@@bluemoon6625 Lovely jubbly.
Thanks for this!
My pleasure totally.
Hi - thanks for this video. Where you are proposing to plant some fruit trees/bushes, are you going to suppress the grass/weeds or just plant into them? If suppressing, how will you go about that?
Hello. This is still under consideration. I will probably make a video on it when I do it.
Hi Dan,
Good to see your progress from when we first met a couple years back at Fillpots GC.
Not gardening related but what mic do you use as it’s got a good crisp sound but without much background noise. Cheers
Greetings, its the Sony ECMW1M, its a blutooth mic that clips to my camera and the receiver goes on your shirt or somewhere, it was discontinued when I wanted the mic so I had to order it on Ebay from Japan. My camera is a Sony a6000. Great to hear from you.
@@homegardens7682
Thanks for that Dan, I’ll have to take a look at it.
I’m now managing a garden centre in Chelmsford, Abercorn plant and garden centre, if you’re ever passing. We generally have a very good range of fruit bushes, trees, seeds etc.
@@diyhomeandgardening Great you are doing well, I can imagine that is a lot of responsibility but also very rewarding.
@@homegardens7682. Yes things have certainly been a little challenging over the last 18ish months. Been very busy though which is good, especially with so many new people taking up gardening for the first time. Encouraging to see so much interest in our horticultural industry.
Great video Dan. I'm thinking of growing a few dwarf apple trees next year. Can you recommend a variety and the best time to plant? Thanks Justine 😊
A large subject, I will be making a video on this.This may help. 10 great fruits to grow in cold climates! | Permaculture | Food forest | Growing fruit ua-cam.com/video/hXL9VpqMFW8/v-deo.html
@@homegardens7682 Great. Thank you.
@@justine2488 Enjoy.
Dear Dan, great job you're doing! Just curious how much do you pay for allotment per year and what surface is in the price? Cheers!
£42 a year for 203 square metres.
@@homegardens7682 That is quite affordable, times 20 years that gives less than £1000 which is wonderful if they keep the prices this value. This way, I don't see the usefulness of buying a personal plot of land, for tens of thousand ponds. Wondering if there is water for irrigation too.
@@stelviodelbrava6218 Yes there is water in troughs attached to the mains. The cost of land in the UK is prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of people. An entire subject on its own....either way, allotments are great.
Hey Dan! You said 50/50 green to brown ratio in the compost, is that weight, volume or something else? I'm interested in this topic because I could save a fortune on compost purchases. Anyway thanks for everything so far. Keep up the good videos. Cheers m8!
Half of each, green and brown and it should turn into compost over time.
@@homegardens7682 I get the 50/50 aspect, but are you talking volume then? My last batch which was 50/50 by volume, broke down pretty well the greens into mud, but the twigs were mostly still in form. I just threw them down on the soil surface anyway because they were on the verge of rotting & I thought along the lines of Huggel culture. I'm fairly new to gardening, so all advice is welcome. Cheers m8!
@@daviedodds3050 Yes, about half and half. I am not too strict regarding ratios, just roughly. Twigs take a bit longer to break down. Cardboard and grass clippings can make great compost. Grass green (Nitrogen), cardboard brown (Carbon).
@@homegardens7682 I'll keep trying m8. Thanks for your input.
@@daviedodds3050 Good stuff, keep at it. Composting is so important its worth persevering with.
Great update Mate
Cheers Michael. Thanks for viewing.
Nice video dan 👍
Cheers Graham.