Lime

Who cares if its banned for horticulture!!! it does the job and I use it, just wear a mask and gloves when you spread it!

Its still widely sold in builders merchants as its often used in moartar for stonework £8 a 25kg bag.

 

I really must get some of that and spread it all over my garden.:D

 

BTW, It does scour the lungs if you spread it without a mask, we used to use it on the farm to lime the cow cuicles during outbreaks of mastitus....... on one ocasion the battery was down on the powerd respirator and I spread it without a mask..... was coughing up mucus and had nosebleeds for a couple of days after!

 

Hi again folks. Just to move the thread on a bit, I'd like to know a bit more regarding crop rotation (bearing in mind my situation). Convention has it that you would have brassicas in a bed, 1 year in 3, right? OK, does that therefore mean that some of my beds WON'T get limed for another 3 years ?
Cheers...freddy.

 

Remind us again Fred, how many beds do you have, and how many are down to Brassicas?

 

Hi Dai. 10 beds, at the moment, 3 to brassicas ( if you include Swede). But I have winter cabbages waiting to go in when my B/Beans are over.

 

You working on a 3 or 4 year rotation?

 

Must have done the cows a power of good then

 

3

 

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Hi
I never have had clubroot on Kohl Rabi or Swedes (or Norwegians)!

But Cauliflowers and broccoli especially were quite badly hit sometimes, with cabbages and savoys also getting it, BSprouts only some years.

Cheers

 

Hi chums. I've just started to lime some of my beds as they become vaccant. Now then, should I avoid liming those beds that will be used for lime hating plants like spuds ? Or will it be ok to lime the lot ?
Cheers...freddy.

 

On a "normal" rotation you would only lime the area where Brassicas will be planted next year - thus each plot will be limed once every 3 or 4 years.

Probably worth checking that the soil is actually getting acidic through application of fertilizer and manure?

Don't apply at the same time, or shortly after application of, manure or other fertilizers - they react together and thus "wastage" is incurred :(

 

Hi Kristen. As I said earlier, all of my garden shows high levels of acidity, not just the veg plot. The way I figure it, if I get it limed now, I can add well-rotted manure/compost/fertilizer(dependant on what has already been added and what is to be grown) in spring. Well, that's my 'master plan' If nobody says otherwise, I'll go ahead with it. BTW, I hope all that made sense :D
Cheers...freddy.

 

Potatoes are not lime haters but I think alkaline conditions increase the likelihood of scab. I reduce the incidence od scab by digging out the planting trenches a bit deeper and lining them with well rotted manure so that the tubers grow in a cushion of organic matter. It also hangs onto moisture as well so potatoes like that.
I would lime the brassica section quite heavily given your acidity. Ground limestone or ground chalk are fairly easy to find. Get it in 25kg bags. It lasts longer than hydrated lime.
I would also lime the section for peas/ beans and onions. They prefer at least neutral conditions. Also lime roots such as carrots and beetroot and sweet corn but not marrows, pumpkins, squash.
I use a 4 year rotation
Year 1 Potatoes. Manure in trenches
Year 2 Roots. Lime no manure. I also grow sweet corn, pumpkins, marrows and squash on half of this section. The sweet corn gets lime and manure and the pumpkins etc get manure under the planting holes.
Year 3 Peas, beans and onions. Manure and lime
Year 4 Brassicas. Lime, no manure unless the soil is poor. I might rotovate some in for caulis cause they are greedy feeders.
Notice i lime a lot. Most veg plants need a neutral to slightly alkaline soil. The effect of manure is to increase its acidity over the years.

 

WoW! Nice to see you back Geoff. Took you a long time to finish the decorating :lollol:
Look forward to you correcting me about the North/South/West/East parts of Europe again:wink::lollol: