Potatoes
Broad Beans
If you've been looking at the website you'll know we've posted a couple of things about problems with weedkiller/ herbicide contaminated manure on allotments across the country.
Unfortunately it seems that the problem has arrived at Fairfield.
At least one manure delivery seems to be contaminated. We are in the process of contacting the supplier to make sure they stop offering manure to allotments and veg growers. (At the moment we do not think the free bagged stuff is the problem.)
The best advice we can find is available through the following links. If you believe either your manure is contaminated after testing, or your crops are showing symptoms, please let us know & take some photos please. (There is a simple way to test your manure outlined below). We won't be able to do any more than the websites we've mentioned say to do, but we will alert the NSALG, chemical company and government about how we've been affected.
Here are a few links about the problem:
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=477
http://glallotments.co.uk/default.aspx
http://www.growyourown.info/page164.html
http://www.manurematters.co.uk/gardening.htm
It is essential that you test any standing manure you have on your plot before using it. Here is the recommended method:
Testing manure:
- Thoroughly mix 1 part manure with 1 part multi-purpose compost in a clean bucket. Prepare enough to fill four 5-inch pots.
- Fill another four clean pots solely with multi-purpose compost. These will be the untreated comparisons.
- Place each of the pots in a separate saucer to prevent water from one pot reaching another.
- Water the pots and leave to stand for 24 hours.
- Plant each pot with four broad bean seeds
- Observe subsequent growth for four-week period and note any ill effects in the pots containing the manure mix, such as cupped leaves and fernlike growth on new shoots.
(We will test some of the free manure, but please do it yourself as it can only help us be more confident about it.)
Let's hope it's just an isolated incident and with care we can avoid further issues.