Guinea-pig litter, lost allotments, container growing

[sue_s lost plotParticipant]

Is it safe and worthwhile using spent guinea-pig litter as a mulch, and would it need composting first? We have a local guinea-pig rescue centre and they produce about 6 gardening-size black bags a day. The volunteers running the centre have to use fuel to take it to a local tip, so they approached the allotments. The first trial was unsuccessful as the litter at that stage included food, and caused a rat problem. However, the volunteers now separate the litter from sleeping v. feeding areas, and we are welcome to the sleeping stuff, which is fine. It seems to be made up of wood shavings and some strawy grass, as well as obviously the droppings. I have laid a mulch of about 2″ on one small bed as a test, and the pigeons have kindly cleared it of any residual seed. It would be good if we could make use of it and help them at the same time, but would appreciate any advice on safety and working practice.

[charlesModerator]

 I would compost it for half a year, with other garden wastes. I believe guinea pigs are vegetarian (unlike, say, cats and dogs) so see no reason why their litter is unsuitable for gardening. A good opportunity.

[LouiseMember]

I used to add rabbit/guinea pig bedding from my local pet shop to my compost heap and found that as long as I left it long enough for the shavings to rot it was a welcome addition.

[sue_s lost plotParticipant]

Thanks Charles for the advice, and will now mix with other compostables for half a year. Yes, guinea pigs certainly are vegetarian; the allotmenters help out the rescue centre with surplus produce – cauliflower and chard are the guinea pigs’ current favourites apparently! Mentioning chard prompts me to add quickly that I grow Bright Lights but only plant out the seedlings with coloured central ribs, as the pigeons attack the ones with a white rib and leave the others alone. Presumably pigeons see in colour!

[sue_s lost plotParticipant]

Thanks for that reassurance Louise. I am desperately trying to increase my production of compost, so this will help.

[sue_s lost plotParticipant]

Almost a year on, and an update for you. Trying to compost the guinea-pig litter in a traditional type container made from strong metal mesh has proved a nightmare, as the rats became a real problem; they even enlarged the holes in my tumbler container when I used it to try to foil them. So, I did an experiment by putting a layer of the litter about 2” deep on a bed, and within about four days the pigeons had gone through it and removed most residual seed; the rats were then not interested. I have left this mulch in place for almost a year, and today have turned it in; the amount of worm life under the mulch was fantastic and I have great hopes for the health and fertility of the soil. An interesting by-product of the method; the occasional residual seed has grown into a cereal plant with a grassy base, and rather than pull it up when small I have left it to a decent size and then cropped it. It pulls up so easily it takes no time, so is an extra bonus for the compost heap – free green manure! I left a few plants to mature to check what they are, and it seems to be oats. So, I now have a dual system going to build up the fertility of the soil in-situ and also to produce green manure for composting. A win-win situation, after a small amount of trial and error.

[charlesModerator]

 Hi Sue, many thanks for this feedback and wonderful that you have solved a few problems there, I especially like the pigeons eating grain before rats do! Can you grow some veg in the outdoor guinea pig – litterbed?

[sue_s lost plotParticipant]

Thanks Charles. I am full of hope for the new beds. I put the guinea-pig mulch on three raised beds which I use for legumes, so will be planting dwarf French beans, peas and pea shoots, and dwarf broad bean The Sutton in them. I am also going to put a layer of the composted guinea-pig litter in my runner bean trench along with the usual veg waste. Can’t wait for the results! An “old hand” on the plots told me that brassicas would not like the litter, but not sure what his theory was on that.

[sue_s lost plotParticipant]

I can’t believe it is a year since I updated this thread.  The guinea pig litter was very successful in increasing the health and productivity of my raised beds.  All legumes were fantastic.  I only tried it on one in three beds each of brassicas and roots, and there was little difference between the untreated beds (brassica beds had lime anyway).  All in all it is a very useful contribution, and this year I am trying out mixing it in my tomato beds in the greenhouse and in some outdoor pots too.  But the most fantastic results of all have been on my neighbour’s plot where he winter-dug in the composted guinea-pig litter on his massive onion bed – his garlic is unbelievable and onions which would be show-winners!  Unfortunately our gardening activities this year have been clouded by an ongoing planning saga; the 27-acre site is privately owned and developers have finally been given outline planning consent [on appeal at public Inquiry] to build on part of it with a trade-off of some public open space and a land donation to the adjacent local nature reserve.  In effect half the site will be lost for allotment use, and the remainder will be bulldozed and relaid out with smaller and reoriented plots, relocated avenues, 7 miles of hedgerow ripped out and the vast majority of trees removed.  We are all devastated; can you imagine starting again in a new location in a sterile environment and without the beautiful backdrop of trees and the company of the wildlife.  It will take many years for the site to mature, and many older gardeners – I include myself – will just not be able to face it.  In the current political climate all allotmenteers should fear for their plots, especially if they are privately owned and removed from some of the protections afforded statutory allotments.  Our only hope now is the Secretary of State …

[charlesModerator]

Oh Sue this is dreadful. It is horrible to feel so powerless. What about you start a 38 degrees campaign?

Glad the littler compost worked well.

[sue_s lost plotParticipant]

Thanks Charles.  I will look into the ’38 Degrees’ possibility, although I fear that the planning process means that we would have to persue a Judicial Review to attempt any reversal of the decision of the Planning Inspectorate.  There is a time limit to complaining about an Appeal by Public Inquiry, and we have no funds to employ the necessary legal aid.  It is much the same situation as that of the Farm Terrace Allotments (Watford) challenge; they had the sense to promptly start crowd funding to employ the necessary legal expertise and have been brave enough to put their legal case on their website.  Interestingly, one of their challenges is contravention of Human Rights.  Anway, this is too political for an inspirational gardening site such as yours!  So keep up your good work, and we will keep gardening until the bulldozers arrive.  Sorry to miss your event in Nottingham due to attendance at the Public Inquiry.  

[sue_s lost plotParticipant]

Well, another whole year gone since I was last on your Forum, learning from you about the use of guinea-pig litter as a mulch. I mentioned then that our privately-owned allotments were under threat. Unfortunately in May 2014 the developers launched an appeal against the Nottingham City Council’s refusal of planning consent, and the Planning Inspector granted permission for the 27-acre site to be developed – one-third for 110 residences, one-third for public open space, and one-third for allotment regeneration. This scheme basically means the bulldozing of the whole site; 6 miles of hedgerow and hundreds of mature fruit trees to be removed, as well as our garden “home from homes”. The gardeners have now been given Notice To Quit by April 2016, and this has driven me to take the decision not to continue on my allotment; I do not want to be part of an organization that has put greed before gardeners and ecology, with no guarantee that they will not attempt further land sale in the future. And I know I will be emotionally drained by the effect of such sweeping changes on the wildlife, which in my case came a close second interest to gardening.

So, I have started this Spring my own 6 x 8 ft allotment at home in 30 pots! – my own version of No-Dig! I have a tiny back garden with a huge oak tree at the end of it; the size limitation and shade were what instigated my venture into allotmenteering nine years ago. Still, I am determined to have a try at home.

The advantages so far are: I can control watering regularly; I can deal with the shade problem by turning the pots regularly; I don’t have to drive to the allotment daily during the busy greenhouse season; the pots were free thanks to the local police who distribute them after cannabis raids!; the carrots will prefer the pots; the pidgeons can’t land on the pot edges to do their worst; I don’t have to cut allotment hedges and mow grass avenues

The disadvantages are: I will have the occasional healthy produce but this is by no means self-sufficiency; the pots dry out rapidly and can be difficulty to re-wet (could I mulch the top of each pot?}; I fear ants may become a problem – they certainly have been in pots of flowering plants; my conservatory turned into a part-time greenhouse this year; the compost has cost me a small fortune – next year I hope to be able to reuse and supplement what I already have; I don’t see my allotment friends as much as I would like; I miss the biodiversity of the site.

If you are interested, I will report towards autumn. In the interim, those passionate about the heritage of allotments might like to take a trip round our site – Before The Bulldozer – at my website at http://losttheplots.wix.com/beforethebulldozer There are sections on the history of the site, views and vistas around plots and avenues, garden produce and the all-important biodiversity – as well as the necessary but more boring planning saga. It will all be such a loss.

[charlesModerator]

Sue its a shocking story. Well documented on your link, I tweeted it so more people know. As well as wildlife lost, its the community aspect as you say. And the lovely enriched soil.
Lucky you have a garden at least, even though small and shady. You could line the (clay?) pots with polythene inside the sides so they hold more moisture.

[sue_s lost plotParticipant]

Hi again Charles and Forum readers. ABOUT MY 2 sq.m. PATIO ALLOTMENT !!!
An update on my trial run this year, before we all lose the plots at our allotment site at Wollaton, Nottingham, next April. I write this in a spirit of “don’t give up, give it a try”, and perhaps to inspire others likewise. I suppose the proof of the pudding (or otherwise) will be in the kitchen soon!
The following containers are ranged in four rows; the first row is on the patio paving, the second raised by one paving sett, the third by two setts, and the fourth by three setts. The setts were free from neighbours who have replaced their driveway. The containers were free from the local police force.
13 containers 22x22x25 cm. From front to back (low to higher):
Row A: [1] Patty-pan squash ‘Sunburst’ x 1: [2] Cucumber ‘Marketmore’ x 2: [3] Cabbage ‘Greyhound’ x 4: [4] Patty-pan squash ‘Sunburst’ x 1: [5] Shallow tray Lettuce C&CA.
Row B: [6] Rainbow chard ‘Bright Lights’ x 8: [7] Butternut squash ‘Walnut’ x 1: [8] Kohl rabi ‘Olivia’ x 6: [9] Courgette ‘Romano’ x 1: [10] Carrot ‘Chantenay’ x 20 in large round pot
Row C: [11] Broccoli ‘Inspiration’ x 4: [12] Kale ‘Cavalo Nero’ x 4: [13] Broccoli ‘Purple Sprouting’ x 4: [14] Cauliflower ‘Romanesco’ x 3: [15] Cauliflower ‘Mayflower’ x 2
Row D: [16] Carrot ‘Maestro’ x 9: [17] Fennel ‘Florence’ x 4: [18] Carrot ‘Maestro’ x 9: Two pots 35x35x35 cm – [18] Runner bean ‘Benchmaster’ x 8: [20] Runner bean ‘Moonlight’ x 8.
Edging: two 1-metre narrow trays, [21] Little Gem and [22] Red & Green Salad Bowl lettuce.
Elsewhere on paths:
Three troughs 60x15x15 cm. [23] Dwarf French bean ‘The Prince’ x 14: [24] Dwarf French bean ‘Safari’ x 14: [25] Dwarf French bean ‘Kinghorn Wax’ x 14.
One square pot [26] Beetroot ‘Boltardy’ x 9.
Tomatoes: 10 pots 30 dia x 25 h: [27-37] varieties – San Marzano, Sweet Aperitif, Shirley, Cherry Cascade, Roma.
Pros
Pigeons can’t land on the pots – can’t believe I don’t need netting, which is a major investment at the allotments. Watering and feeding; tap is only a few steps away, is more accurate and therefore less waste (only have one small hut to harvest water). Slug pellets only on the slabs, not on the pots – all leaves are perfect – don’t know where the cabbage white butterflies are! Staking is easy with the square pots – one cane each corner plus string. The pots can be turned to minimise draw to the light. Almost no bending.
Cons:
Well the first is obvious, the cost of the compost! Also: Plants are getting leggy due to the shade for part of the day. The pots get a daily sprinkle of fallen leaves from my favourite cherry tree. And one trough has been decimated by slugs; don’t know why, but the troughs are lower than the pots. No onion family. No potatoes. No soft fruit yet – all projects to consider for next year. But my space is very limited.

So, quite a lot of work but my own version of NO DIG !!! Sorry I can’t work out if I could send you a photo of my patio plot. Kind regards, SUE

[charlesModerator]

Thanks Sue its all good info and well done!
Funnily enough I was just editing a section of my online course about growing in containers, and may I please include your summary of the pros and cons?

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