Grow your own compost???

[dtw]

I've seen packets of 'grow your own compost' seeds in garden centres.

Are they worth bothering with for fallow patches?

Or is it just as 'compost worthy' to sow 'wild flowers for butterflies' ?

[dtw]

[Bryan]

dtw, these are also known as "green manure", which is grown and then just turned into the ground in situ.
Growing wild flowers for butterflies is not really a good idea as after the flowers have gone and then ran to seed, the seeds would then disperse onto the ground and start the process over again. Not a practice i would recommend, i would not be too happy to see any of my allotment neighbors doing this as with wild flowers, a majority of the seeds are dispersed by the wind, and would not want any on my plot.
This is best left to gardens where veggies are not grown.

[OliveOil]

wild flowers will not grow in fertile soil

[ACE]

wild flowers will not grow in fertile soil

Great, now I can throw away my hoe.

[Rosyred]

That was lucky I had some I was going to put down at the lot.

[SMP1704]

ACE - sarcasm? surely not  ;D ;D ;D

[manicscousers]

we use phacelia when the beds are going to be left empty for a few weeks, the flowers are really beautiful, always leave a couple for the bees  ;D

[OliveOil]

Ace - gimme a break man!  I mean those wild meadow packs you buy and the flowers never come up... just the weeds you can do without... it is true though - those wildflower packs do not like fertile soil... i read it somewhere and also bought packets of the stuff years ago with no result... now i know why!

But Borage is good for the creatures and pretty and good green manure i believe!

[ACE]

Well it was a rather sweeping statement. Wild flowers will grow in a cultivated plot so will 'weeds' and usually the weeds win. Like any other crop they need looking after. If you are just going to scatter a pack of seeds you might just as well crap in your best hat.

Preparation of the spot is needed, first dig,weed and weed again, sow your seeds then carry on weeding. September is the best time to sow on most soil, unless it is clay. Then you need to rough dig, let the frost do its work, knock it down and weed again and plant in the spring, no later than the end of april. Do not smooth the bed out too much as the rain will cap the soil and stop the seeds getting the light they need to germinate.

Sowing on a rough bit of grass will not work as the grass will win again.

I used to use barn sweepings from a farm that had lovely wild flower meadows.
I spead the seed on the top of seed trays, pulled most of the grass as it showed. Then when the whole lot came out of the tray as a mat, I transplanted it in ripped off clumps where I wanted it

[OllieC]

I nearly bought a packet of wild flower seeds once. Then noticed that it included Dandelions & a couple of other rediculous things... They're packets of weeds IMHO!

[Bryan]

OllieC,
They are not packets of weeds. They are packets of seeds that will grow into plants that not everybody would like to have growing, in areas such as allotments.
I have explained on another posting what a weed really is, but it is basically a plant that is growing where it is not wanted. This can be a tree as well as an ordinary plant.

[OllieC]

I'm quite happy with my definition of a weed, thanks! Here are some: Lady's Bedstraw, Birds-foot-trefoil, meadow buttercup, wild carrot, cowslip, oxeye daisy, dandelion, black medic, pignut, hoary and ribwort plantain, field scabious, selfheal, common and kidney vetch, yarrow