Posts Tagged ‘Compost’

Hurrah! March is here, the conquering sun of spring is starting its march across this green and pleasant land (with apologies to Messrs. Keats and Blake), and the gardener can get down to the happy business of sowing and planting. However, lest we get carried away by all this verdant enthusiasm, the February 1945 Ministry of Agriculture Allotment and Garden Guide warns us in typically earthy fashion not to try to sow seeds ‘when the soil sticks to your boots’.

Assuming your boots remain mud-free, the March guide carries a few reminders that the allotmenteer would do well to follow and provides a useful guide to creating a seedbed for your leeks and sprouts. Pointers for your parsnips, peas, parsley and potatoes are included as well as some sound advice regarding the planting of onions, lettuce and radishes. The Imperial War Museum does not, however, condone the use of red lead or paraffin to deter mice!

Compost has become fashionable, and there are many compost bins on the market that claim to allow ‘maximum microbial action’ and the like, but a good-old-fashioned compost heap does the job just as well.  Take a look at this handy guide and begin work on your very own heap, but do bear in mind that this is a historic document and using lime and other chemicals is now not considered to be a good idea!  Twenty-first-century advice is available here. 

We know this is a slightly odd request, but if anyone is particularly proud of their compost heap, we’d love to see it! Or, if you prefer, photos of your garden/allotment/window box would be just as good! You can add your photos to our ‘In the Garden’ Flickr group. Let us know how your gardening is coming along so far and if you have any tops tips for first class compost!