[Ghdp]

I am feeding my plants with a ‘nettle tea’ which is easy to make and seems to work well on quite a range of plants. This got me thinking about alternative plant food I could gather for free.
My F i Law used to gather up fresh horse poo from the road and put it in a bucket of water which I think he stirred very regularly. After about a week he scooped a cup of the ‘goo’ into the watering can and filled with water to feed his tomatoes- once a week. None of us died from food poisoning and I remember great tomatoes. Well, I haven’t got horses but have access to as much sheep poo as anyone could possibly want. Does anyone make tomato feed this way? I did research if I could make it with hen poo; also freely available, but the advice was to let the poo ‘mature’ for 12 months to kill off pathogens in hen poo first. So any ideas about using sheep poo this way? NB I am only thinking of it for tomatoes, aubergines peppers etc

[Steph Hen]

Cut grass
Comfrey
Borage
Nettles
Compost tea
Leaf litter tea.
The last two want to be aerobic, so bubble air through the tank. Others are aerobic.

[Penninehillbilly]

Our local radio gardening expert used to recommend collecting sheep droppings, putting in a Hessian sack and dunking in a water butt. I use goat manure in veg patch, as well as making a strong solution and adding it to watering can, topping up with water
But be aware that this will be higher in nitrogen than potash, which is  what you really need for fruits.
I think comfrey tea is best for fruiting plants?

[Ghdp]

Thanks both.
I will experiment.
Chris, do you make grass cutting tea?  Never thought of that.

[chrismahon]

Familiar with the sheep poo tea. Chap in the pub bought some for us in a thick plastic bag with the instructions of fill the bag with water, stir well and regularly and add a cup full of the fluid at the top to a watering can of water for tomatoes. It didn't kill the tomatoes and even though they were our first grown so had nothing but shop bought to compare them with they seemed to turn out well. Wish we could grow them here, but it's too hot and sunny so the skins harden and split.

[Ghdp]

Am looking forward to trying these ideas out. Thank you.

[Fleecewife]

There's a big advantage to putting your sheep droppings into a hessian sack when making sheep manure tea - there's no particulate matter to block the wateringcan can rose    In fact I use sheep manure to feed the soil and the soil in turn feeds the plants. Very occasionally I might use a liquid feed to feed plants directly, especially if they are in pots.
For Tomatoes, Peppers, Chillies and Aubergines you use a nettle or animal manure feed for young plants in order to grow a strong healthy plant, then as soon as the first flower buds appear, change to a Potassium rich feed such as Comfrey tea, or Tomorite if you're buying. Nitrogen builds plants, Potassium encourages flowers and thence fruit

[Ghdp]

Thanks FW. I don’t have any comfrey ( but will address that deficit. Would banana peel soak make an acceptable alternative do you know?

[Penninehillbilly]

Thanks FW. I don’t have any comfrey ( but will address that deficit. Would banana peel soak make an acceptable alternative do you know?

Oh dear, I wondered what that gunge was in the jar, if forgotten I was trying the banana peel in water idea . LOL.

[Fleecewife]

I've not tried banana peel gunge, but bananas do contain Potassium.  My late aunt used to randomly fling banana skins around the garden and they did no harm  .  Their usefulness perhaps depends on just how many bananas you eat each week.  As an interim measure, give it a go.
I feel guilty because I have a huge amount of Comfrey here, but I'm not in a position to send it anywhere, although if you were passing you would be most welcome to dig a couple of (enormous) plants.  (I'm in the south of Scotland, not far from the M74 if you're passing and the offer remains open)

[Ghdp]

Oh sorry FW. I have just seen your reply!  Thank you. If we are ever able to take you up on that we will!!

[LKSF]

It depends where you are growing your toms, if in the ground then there are much easier ways of going about it.

[Ghdp]

I grow tomatoes in single 30 cm plant pots. They seem to be responding to sheep poo tea!

[PipKelpy]

I grow tomatoes in single 30 cm plant pots. They seem to be responding to sheep poo tea!

My dad used dags and poo for his toms, a bucket bubbling away in greenhouse, flies there too, but he always gets a good crop.

[cloddopper]

Our local radio gardening expert used to recommend collecting sheep droppings, putting in a Hessian sack and dunking in a water butt. I use goat manure in veg patch, as well as making a strong solution and adding it to watering can, topping up with water
But be aware that this will be higher in nitrogen than potash, which is  what you really need for fruits.
I think comfrey tea is best for fruiting plants?

 Adding a kilo of sugar dissolved in boiling water to the stewing water barrel will after a fortnight of stirring till it turns green will provide food for all manner of essential yeasts which are very beneficial to the garden plants , the yeast will release all manner of nutrients , Add chicken muck , pig muck and cow muck & a bit of urine soaked beddings as well and you  grow hairs on a bald headed man with it .