With the end of the growing season approaching, and this being the gardens fifth year in vegetable production, we have decided to concentrate on the health of the soil this winter.
With the end of the growing season approaching, and this being the gardens fifth year in vegetable production, we have decided to concentrate on the health of the soil this winter.
In previous years we have used well rotted horse manure and some green manures, but this year we are experimenting with Worm Tea. I hasten to add that no worms were hurt in the making of this tea, we simply used their ‘poo’.
This change in soil care came about through a chance meeting with Jay from ‘Nourished Earth, www.nourishedearth.co.uk
We invited Jay to come and see the garden. He explained how we can make a liquid feed from well rotted compost. In the compost will be the faecal matter from, not only worms, but many small invertebrates that help digest the foliage, garden and food waste that goes into our compost bin.
The beauty of making the tea is that a much smaller amount of compost can feed a much bigger area than just spreading it on the soil surface.
Along with watering the soil with the worm tea we will be sowing green manures. These are plants that fix nutrients into the soil and also help to break up the soil structure without digging it. They decompose and break down in to the soil in early spring.
So, this year we aim to have enriched soil that will support seriously good crops of traditional, and easily recognisable, vegetables for our community to enjoy.
If you are interested in Worm Tea for your garden please go to the website
With the end of the growing season approaching, and this being the gardens fifth year in vegetable production, we have decided to concentrate on the health of the soil this winter.
