Spent hops and spent tomato compost

[SpadelessAde]

Dear Charles
I’ve got some spent hops (and a ready source quite near to my allotment) and I was wondering whether they’re best being just laid on the beds, or put in the compost heap first?

Also, I’ve used my spent tomato compost (I grow my tomatoes in pots in the greenhouse) as a covering on one of my beds, with a view to perhaps adding some seaweed meal or poultry manure in the spring – hope this will work OK in your opinion?

Thanks for your help as always,
Adrienne

[Rhys]

Adrienne

I’ve done likewise to you this autumn and used spent haulms of healthy tomato/potato plants, allied to the spent compost to create a ‘bed’ which I covered with grass cuttings and then topsoil (which created a ditch around the bed).

I sowed winter onions and garlic in it and all are now showing healthy shoots under 2 weeks later.

Too early to say how super-duper it might be or not, but it certainly won’t kill your crops!!

[charles]

 Hi Adrienne,

Yes this is a good plan for the spent tomato compost and I suspect there are still many nutrients in it, then adding some seaweed and concentrated manure will certainly give you enough.

I would put spent hops in a heap, depending as ever – if a huge amount you could compost on their own in a heap, smaller amounts in an existing heap with everything else. Spreading on the garden as a mulch is possible at this time of year, could help to keep ground clear of weeds, may increase slugs so I wouldn’t do it where planning to sow carrots, lettuce and spinach in the spring. Many possibilities.

[SpadelessAde]

Thank you so much Charles – I’ll take your advice and put what I’ve already got in small amounts in my compost heaps (I’ve got compost heaps at home as well as at the allotment), and I think I’ll aim to collect some more over the winter months and put them in their own heap. We are very lucky in that there’s a brewery opposite the allotments so I just need to wheel my barrow over and bring as much back as I can. Thanks for the tip about the slugs if it’s spread on the garden as a mulch, I hadn’t thought that that might happen.
And good to hear the spent tomato compost and seaweed/concentrated manure suggestion gets the thumbs up!
Thanks again,
Adrienne

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