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Gardening in the UK

"unfinished" compost help

10 years ago

hi there, im a bit of a newbie to gardening having taken over my late mothers garden, and i want to make a rose garden, i have identified the area, weeded it , dug it over tilled it and next spring , March April want to move all her rose bushes to the area. There are about 10 spread all over the garden,
i have been making a compost in an old dustbin and its unfinished, what i would like to do is put the "unfinished" compost in to the prepared area to rot over winter , would you advise me to do this or not, all help is graciously received

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Comments (3)

vetivert8
10 years ago
I'd put it on now, probably with a serving of blood and bone on top of the soil before I spread it to about 4"/10cm thick. (Hoping all the while that I'll have enough to cover the area... If you don't have enough, then spread more thinly.)

Over winter will be a good time to see if the area becomes waterlogged at all, too. (The puddles stay for hours or days, even after the rain has stopped.) If it does stay too wet then you may need to make a gentle mound on the area and plant on the ridge of the mound.

I'm guessing you've already started the lifting process for the roses and you'll be pruning them back quite hard in later winter (or whatever month is best in your area).

The main thing for now is to give them a feed of a fairly high potash fertiliser (tomato or potato food is good) to help them to harden off for the winter. If they've formed any rose hips, leave them on the plant for now so they don't think they have to flower and set fruit before the cold really sets in.
monkey1962
Original Author
10 years ago
thanks for that info vetivert8 , im really looking forward to next spring to get the area going, thanks again
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broch
10 years ago
Also consider some well rotted manure.

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