Morning Light: The Fetchland Gardening Wire

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Flatlander Oct 2023 6:29pm, 4 Oct 2023 2,928 posts	0 Flatlander I agree about composting egg shells once they have been crushed into small pieces. You can also use them as a liquid feed for plants which like lots of calcium, such as kale. Crush them, put them in a container, add vinegar, seal the container, and leave them for a few weeks for the acetic acid to break down the shell and release the calcium. Strain off the resultant liquid into another container and when required dilute it the correct amount and apply to the soil around your plants. gardenislife.com I find it quick and easy to wash the shells. After I've done my washing up, I then swish the 2 halves of the shells in the washing up water and put them to one side to dry.
Cheeky’s Dad Oct 2023 10:29pm, 4 Oct 2023 3,825 posts	0 Cheeky’s Dad My Dad also used to put them in the top oven when keeping things warm and then ground them up and added to the compost bin. Being lazy I just roughly crush & stick them in the compost heap. They do take a while to break down fully but I convince myself they add a bit of grit-value until they disappear and I never notice them once the compost is added to the soil in any case
jacdaw Oct 2023 11:04pm, 4 Oct 2023 4,083 posts	0 jacdaw I just squish them up a bit so they take less space in my little kitchen compost collecting container. Then they get to sit in my behind the back door collecting sack for a few weeks, then into my compost heap. When I take compost, anything not broken down gets to go in the new heap. It all breaks down eventually! No time for washing / drying / baking / grinding egg shells in my life!
Gooner Oct 2023 6:30pm, 6 Oct 2023 19,578 posts	0 Gooner I leave them in the container, give it a stamp before tearing as I drop it into the compost. Seem to break down fairly quickly considering the lack of effort.
Columba Oct 2023 9:10pm, 7 Oct 2023 22,323 posts	0 Columba I crush them and add them to the compost. Never occurred to me to wash them! They are still recognisable when the compost gets used, but I tell myself they lighten the soil (like grit) and as it's heavy clay soil where I am, this is a Good Thing.
EvilPixie Oct 2023 4:07pm, 19 Oct 2023 47,944 posts	0 EvilPixie question! A few years ago I built a raised bed and we filled it with good top soil I grow veg in it and top up with compost when I plant stuff This year the crops weren't very good (could be Mr Pix didn't use as much compost as I do!) so I was wondering if I could improve the soil over winter. I have a mushroom farm nearby I wondered about buying some of their compost and just adding a 5" layer as a winter mulch then digging it in when we plant next spring. Is this a good idea? Or is there any better ideas? Mr Pix has now retired so I hope he will be doing more (I know I had planned to do more but I am not retiring but I am going part time so can do a but more) I'd like to grow more veg too we mainly growing in the raised bed onions - we use a lot but they take up so much space can I plant things between them? carrots - complete disaster this year hardly any grew then in pots courgettes , lettuce, radish and beetroot and this year we tried dwarf beans (we did beans in the main bed before but they took up too much room) I did get some good cauli a couple of years ago but again take up space so any tips on maximising space usage would be helpful - like can you plant things in the gaps? I mean could you plant lettuce or radish or beets between the onions etc? Thanks a lot!
Red Squirrel Oct 2023 4:17pm, 19 Oct 2023 23,098 posts	0 Red Squirrel Any suggestions for where to get large quantities of cardboard from to cover my plot? Ta ever so.
Velociraptor Oct 2023 4:19pm, 19 Oct 2023 65,892 posts	0 Velociraptor Local Facebook site, RS? A couple of the shops by us put up a post asking if anyone wants the cardboard boxes when they've had a delivery.
Eynsham Red Oct 2023 7:36pm, 19 Oct 2023 10,088 posts	0 Eynsham Red EvilPixie Spent mushroom compost will be a very good soil improver.
EvilPixie Oct 2023 7:43pm, 19 Oct 2023 47,948 posts	0 EvilPixie Is it best to just layer it up over winter or dig it in over winter? I did google but I couldn’t find any real answers!