help a first-time vegetable grower please

[Ivan]

Hi all..

I am a first time grower (thought technically second, as last week was my first time and I managed to kill everything I planted in ONE DAY!!)

Amazing, huh? I planted all my tomatoes directly onto chicken manure. I thought it was a good idea.

Anyway..

I will be re-doing my veggie patch this weekend. I have three raised boxes and will grow tomatoes, perhaps some carrots and lettuce plants also.

I would like to re-use SOME of the chicken manure that I bought from the store, but will be adding to it some potting mix and compost.. My question is .. Should I mix the chicken manure with the potting mix and compost, or should I leave a layer of manure on the bottom of the boxes and add the potting and compost on top?

Hoping not to kill any more plants ..

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Is this composted chicken manure?

[len garden]

g'day ivan,

will assume that the manure you bought is aged and composted?

i would just spread it in the lower layer then cover with your preffered growing medium as yu say potting mich and compost mixed together.

if you can check out mushroom compost direct from the farm we have good results using that.

also we have pics etc on our site how we do things. might help?

snipped With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

-- "Be Content With What You Have And May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In A World That You May Not Understand."

[Ivan]

Hi there,

Thank you kindly for clearing this out for me. What do I do with mushroom compost? Do I mix it with the potting mix, instead of any other compost I might find at the store?

[r.mcgillicuddy]

try a link like this as well. When I started gardening I simply dug a patch of ground and planted, and read books as I went. Now we have the internet but the practice is the same. Good luck - it's a great pastime, and even greater pleasure to eat the vegies!

[len garden]

g'day ivan,

over her we buy it from the farm and just tip it into the agrden break it up a bit and then plnat into it, some care is neded as it can still get hot for the plants but leaving it spread out in the bed with no mulch on it for a couple of weeks helps that.

do a google for mushroom farms near you.

On Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:55:13 -0700, Ivan wrote: snipped With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

-- "Be Content With What You Have And May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In A World That You May Not Understand."

[Ivan]

Well I bought some mushroom compost!! I'm beginning to think I bought too much though. How much should be used in a raised bed in proportion to potting mix? By what you said it makes it seem as if though you're planting directly into the mushroom compost.. Is this the right thing to do?