Wormery Compost

[jjat8cvParticipant]

We really enjoyed our first visit to Lower Farm on Sunday and I am more than ever determined to convert the remainder of my allotment to no dig although I think it might be a little difficult to make sufficient compost. I notice on re-reading your “Vegetable Course” book that you say “the healthiest seedlings I ever observed were grown in pure and beautiful soft worm compost”. I always understood that other ingredients had to be added to this as is was too concentrated otherwise. Can I use my worm compost neat for sowing and transplanting? I have three wormeries working in my garden and although they do not produce a lot of compost there would probably be sufficient for my sowings.

[charlesModerator]

 Yes Janet this sounds a great idea. I am not sure where the ‘over concentrated’ (and also the ‘burn seedlings’) ideas come from, but worm compost was brilliant for me and this year my best sowing and potting compost has been pure cow manure! Especially with better germination because, I think, of its slight lumpiness which ensures good drainage.
Now I have a plant of cinnamon basil growing in pure manure which looks much healthier than one growing in multipurpose compost.

[jjat8cvParticipant]

Thank you for your advice. I have some autumn onion seeds to sow this week and I shall use my wormery compost for them. I have a more than I can accomodate in the cell tray so I might sow the remainder in multipurpose compost and compare the results.

[PoolfieldMember]

Wow I never realised that you could grow straight into manure. I had a delivery of 2 year old cow manure earlier this year, it is very gloopy sticky stuff, is it really ok to plant into that?

[charlesModerator]

 Hard to say without seeing it. For my manure the cows had been bedded on straw so it was perhaps lighter than yours. You need to experiment a little…

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