Monday, 11 January 2016

Seaweed

On one of our beach walks last week we came across a large pile of seaweed. Free fertiliser of the best kind, full of minerals and trace elements. Over two days we dug into the pile, filled up large buckets and laboured up a steep and narrow path to the car.



 laughing at human antics
I then pulled up the last of the root vegetables, except for the turnips which are still going strong. We had enough seaweed to spread on all the beds, put under the fruit bushes and leftovers to toss in the compost as an activator.


I usually take the photos. It recently crossed my mind I might be giving the erroneous impression that only one person does the heavy lifting. Not so....


I'll have you know it takes a lot of effort to lean on the fork and guard the wheelbarrow.

The eagle eyed Susan from e-i-e-i-omg-bybiddie.blogspot.com will surely notice I'm not wearing the beautiful, soft, and cosy ear warmer she knitted for me. After I received it I immediately popped it on my head. Now it has become part of my early morning, stagger downstairs to light the stove, ensemble of PJs, sweater, knee high socks, coat. In addition I had just carefully arranged it on the table for its photo session prior to its debut here on the blog. I forgot about it until I was in the mudroom with my boots on but I won't make that mistake again as my ears were tingling by the time I was finished. 

I love it


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14 comments:

  1. Sue Catmint11 January 2016 at 14:14

    good work - the bird (sea eagle? hawk?) may laugh but I think what you've done is hard work and entirely sensible. And in time I'm sure you'll really reap the benefit.

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    1. Susan11 January 2016 at 19:28

      Bald eagle. The day we looked at our house there were several eagles in the tree in front of the gate-unusal to see so many in one spot. I took it as a good sign.

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  2. Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe11 January 2016 at 17:12

    Wow, I'm impressed. When my son was a child, he used to fish almost daily in the stream at the edge of our property. In the spring when the carp were running, he used to catch many of these large fish. They were wonderful fertilizer for my garden and my flowers and veggies grew very large. I would imagine that the sea weed would do the same. How lucky you are to have this near by. Next time I go to the beach, I will think of that.

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    1. Susan11 January 2016 at 19:32

      I'm hoping it will do something. The soil needs a lot of help. Your son sounds very industrious, I'm sure he was very proud of the fish he brought home.

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  3. Andrea Ostapovitch12 January 2016 at 05:37

    I didn't know you could use sea weed as fertilizer, but then I'm as land-locked as it gets. Manure for us out here in cattle country. I wonder which smells worse?

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    1. Susan12 January 2016 at 14:46

      I've made friends with a horse owner so every now and then I can get horse manure on a scoop your own basis. Unfortunately we do not have many livestock farms so other manure is hard to find. I would take seaweed over manure anyday regarding smell.

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  4. Powell River Books12 January 2016 at 18:59

    I've never used seaweed in the garden. I have my compost for the upper garden and purchase manure and peat moss for the float garden and barrels each year. I still have three of my four float garden beds with plants growing (kale, chard, carrots, beets and herbs. I will need to pull them by the end of February so I can let the soil rest a bit and dig in the amendments. I am finding that I'm getting more pests each year. With so little space it is hard to rotate the crops. Last year the aphids were terrible on my kale. I wonder that the new season will bring. - Margy

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    1. Susan12 January 2016 at 19:20

      Do you think being on the water keeps your beds warm? The soil in mine was froze about 2 inches in depth and it dislodged my carrots. My beets froze although buried in soil. Last year carrots and beets kept well although I did have straw on the carrots. Our soil has been depleted over the years and I'm doing all I can to restore it.

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  5. DianeSchuller.com14 January 2016 at 13:07

    I haven't (yet) used seaweed but was unsure if it's easily compostable. Most seaweed below our place seems so thick and rubbery, I was concerned it would take forever to break down.

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    1. Susan14 January 2016 at 20:27

      We used it last year and it broke down quickly. The large pieces we have chopped up before using.

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  6. Jennifer16 January 2016 at 19:16

    I bet your garden will express its thanks come spring. The eagle looks regal even on the beach.

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  7. Donna@Gardens Eye View17 January 2016 at 12:22

    What a special gift...and oh my eagles watching as you gather sea weed.....what a special way to add fertilizer.....wish I had a great source like this.

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  8. Pondside19 January 2016 at 19:34

    Collecting seaweed is something I'm always meaning to do. It must feel wonderful to give your beds such a great treat - and for free, apart from the heavy lifting!

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  9. Hoehoegrow20 January 2016 at 10:47

    A worthy exercise ! Your garden will love you for it, and think of all those calories you burned while you were doing it! Win win situation!

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