By Maddy
West Sussex,
United Kingdom 
I have a large pile of very dusty, tired, dry soil which a very strong friend has shovelled out of the greenhouse for me. I've also emptied onto it my used grow bags and the contents of my used flower pots.
Right now I haven't any home made compost and no access to well rotted manure. I do have quite a bit of leaf mould, but this won't add much goodness to this mound.
Resorting to garden centres, can anyone please suggest the right combination of ingredients I could buy from the large piles of bags they all have outside to help re-vitalise this soil? Oh, I also have a tub of chicken manure pellets. Many thanks.
27 Sep, 2010
Answers
Dear Bulbaholic
many thanks for your comprehensive answer. I've printed out your recipe and will take your advice to see what it looks like before a trip to the G.C. to make up the recipe.
Maddy
27 Sep, 2010
Firstly, I would mix the soil, old compost and leafmould, Maddy, and see what that looks like. If it is nice and humusy, then that is good; if not add some soil conditioner from the GC. This will give a good compost base. Add a scatering of chicken manure pellets to give nitrogen and the buy bonemeal from the GC as fertiliser. I would put in two or three handfulls per 'British Standard Wheelbarrow' quantity of compost base. Don't put in as much chicken manure as it is very strong.
27 Sep, 2010