Liabilities into Assets

In case the 'subcontinental' readership might be concerned at a lack of productivity on a Friday...

There's been a steady but relentless accretion of paper sacks over the last few months; of the sort that the chicken feed is delivered in.

 It almost seems as if, that when you stack a lot of things together they start to breed and multiply through mysterious forces, until the volume of 'things' can threaten to overwhelm.

So; having fruitlessly offered them about for purposes unspecified; it was either a big fire; always particularly tempting on a Friday for some reason; or put them to  some use...

These blackcurrant bushes are just coming into leaf; the weeds and grass around them are equally keen to do their springtime thing; and would threaten to overwhelm if not kept in check somehow. 

So first a half handful of heat treated chicken manure, as shown below, to feed the plant over the season. Then around each plant lose a few bucketfuls of leek trimmings; one of the few varieties of pack house waste that can't be processed either via the hens or the pigs. 

Add on top of that a 'double doughnut' ring of paper sacks to impede the weed growth; and finally top it off with a barrowful of thickly spread, half rotted wood chip, courtesy of a local tree surgeon who needed to dispose of a liability. 

by this time next year most of the layers will have rotted down, fed the blackcurrant, which will in turn have fed several folk, and most likely the job will need repeating all over again.

 Keeps some of us out of mischief for a day or two... 'Man Fridays' youthful stand in seemed quite happy shoveling mulch out of the loader bucket and barrowing it in place.

To ensure a happy fruit bush the ground needs to be moist before applying this treatment, no worries on that front here.

Now I've got a bit of a soft spot for this stuff...

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=compost%20technology%20limited

Of course most importantly it's effective nutrition for anything that might need a balanced slow release feed over the season.

It also smells fairly pleasant; I know you may not be convinced but I'm not the only person who thinks it has an almost coffee / chocolatey aroma...It is heat treated after all.

And it's produced by a smallish firm, who deliver quickly, and will usually throw in a free bag of the stuff, or a pair of gloves if you buy enough at a time. And the same business doesnt take orders for a couple of weeks in August because that's staff holiday time... 

Quite right too; all year round availability can lead to being taken for granted...

But really; best of all...Check out 'Super Dug' .....Manly jaw; broad shoulders; stylish titfer; and darling striped trews..... 

Who wouldn't want him helping out around the veg plot?

I reckon he could do with a bigger wheelbarrow though... This one is verging on a trug.