Best liner/ bedding for drop tray

[missuscluck]

I found this recipie in my small holding magazine for plant food. I thought I could use it to feed my tomatos insted of buying plant food.

 

Half fill a bucket with stinging nettles.

Fill to the top with water then weight down the nettles to keep them under water. (I have used chicken wire and an old tile!!)

Stir well every day, it will start to smell as it ferments.

Leave for a week or two. and it is ready to be diluted for use.

 

The smell can be reduced by adding a handfull of bone meal or herbs such as rosemary or thyme.

 

This makes a very concentrated feed which should be used 1:10 dilute with water. It contains large amounts of potash and nitrogen.

 

And best of all, its FREE

[chickencam]

Yes but it really does pong

[Lesley]

It certainly does! - but it does work well.......

[missuscluck]

Ill tell you when its brewed.

I have put lots of rosemary in it and it dosent smell at all yet. Its standing in my green house at the moment. If anything, it smells quite pleasent.

[Matthew]

Ill tell you when its brewed.

I have put lots of rosemary in it and it dosent smell at all yet. Its standing in my green house at the moment. If anything, it smells quite pleasent.

 

Just you wait....

[missuscluck]

Im intrigued. It still smells ok! Will I pass out due to the pong!

[Blackrocksrock]

The one in the home farmer was comfrey when the flowers open and mine are just showing so I will be trying that one - hope its not too smelly!!!!!!!!!!

[Tara.F]

comfrey feed smells like.....like.....nothing else on earth

evil smelling doesn't begin to cover it

[little chickadee]

I've just bought some comfrey, so I shall be finding out next year how smelly it is. I've seen that it smells like raw sewage

[FruitandNutCake]

I also did a bucket of nettle stew - haven't smelt it yet, and it's been there for a few weeks now! I had also heard somewhere (the Big Dig I think) that it is good for spraying plants ( brussle sprouts or brassicas possibly?) I'm not sure if this is to stop some kind of pest which also doesn't like the smell.

[Blackrocksrock]

comfrey feed smells like.....like.....nothing else on earth

evil smelling doesn't begin to cover it

 

Oh dear - looks like a peg on the nose in the greenhouse then! - its for the tomatoes and veg!

[fluffymuppet]

If you've got comfrey then there is a way to make it into a liquid feed without putting up with the pong. Instead of drowning it in water, just pack a bucket with comfrey leaves, weight them down and let them rot down on their own. You'll get a treacly liquid that hardly smells at all and can be diluted to make a great tomato feed.

 

It won't work with nettles because their composition is different.

[missuscluck]

It still isnt smelling really bad. It just has a slight whiff, which isnt altogether unpleasent. I think that the rosemary is doing its job and countering the whiff.

[redhotchick]

Missuscluck, how is your nettle mixture smelling?

I have 5ft high nettles at the moment and am planning on making some myself, so I am interested to know please.

[missuscluck]

Actually, its not so bad at all. Its not the sweetest smelling thing but its not as awfull as expected. I thought if it got bad I would add some more rosemary, but I havent needed to.

 

Its stood in its bucket in the greenhouse. It still has whats left of the nettles and rosemary in, just the woody bits that havent rotted down. (no, I wont be freezing whats left to make a crumble at a later date, a la rhubarb scnapps )

 

I have started to use it in the watering can. I just scoop a small pot full and chuck it in the water.

Hopefully I will be able to report bumper tomato's soon!

[Matthew]

I reckon you should get your sense of smell checked, either that you're wearing a peg on your nose