Hi All,

At our allotments a local stables has set up an agreement whereby they can
dump all their horse manure. It is straw and without pesticides.

My question is;
If I top dress a bed with 10" of manure then will it be safe to plant in
come next march? Also what do people think re root crops in manured ground,
Pippa Greenwood in her book says that is no problem but I'm sure I have
heard otherwise.
I also think Pippa should have been the next Gardeners World presenter as
that Monty Don is just too posh!

Thanks to all,

Adrian

In article ,
"Adrian Colombini" writes:
|
| At our allotments a local stables has set up an agreement whereby they can
| dump all their horse manure. It is straw and without pesticides.
|
| My question is;
| If I top dress a bed with 10" of manure then will it be safe to plant in
| come next march? Also what do people think re root crops in manured ground,
| Pippa Greenwood in her book says that is no problem but I'm sure I have
| heard otherwise.

Almost certainly it will be ready to dig in by then - 3 months of
rain and above freezing temperatures will break it down fairly
well. If we have a hard winter, then it will not break down.

Root vegetables may fork or produce a bit too much foliage, but
otherwise there should be no problem. For normal use, don't
worry.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679

"Adrian wrote in message
At our allotments a local stables has set up an agreement whereby they can
dump all their horse manure. It is straw and without pesticides.

My question is;
If I top dress a bed with 10" of manure then will it be safe to plant in
come next march? Also what do people think re root crops in manured
ground,
Pippa Greenwood in her book says that is no problem but I'm sure I have
heard otherwise.
I also think Pippa should have been the next Gardeners World presenter as
that Monty Don is just too posh!

Personally I would not use "manure" if it was predominantly fresh straw.
Whilst breaking down it will rob the land of nutrients if my friends
experience is anything to go by, he did as you suggest and has regretted it
for the last couple of years, with poor crops.
Make a huge pile, ensure it is wet, and cover. Leave for 12 months, ensuring
it doesn't dry out, when it will be a very small pile, then use it.
We pay for ours but it is over 12 months old and has no straw showing at
all, good stuff and worth every penny.

Bob

In article , Rodger Whitlock
writes
On Thu, 21 Nov 2002 16:17:38 -0000, "Sue & Bob Hobden"
wrote:

..."manure"...
Make a huge pile, ensure it is wet, and cover. Leave for 12 months, ensuring
it doesn't dry out...

"Wet" or merely "moist"?

I've seen (and smelled) some pretty horrible compost heaps that
got that way because they were too wet, and consequently too
airless.

Yes, too much wetness in compost will spoil the end result. We cover our
completed heaps with black plastic sheeting weighted down at the
corners. That keeps rain out, but it allows some air in and it retains
the moisture level already in the mixture. Ideally any compost heap
would benefit from turning at least once during the making time, but the
process will continue if that is not done, albeit a little more slowly.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

Horses have a less efficient digestive system than cows, so weed seeds pass
through them and can be germinated, so compost the horse manure well or you'll
just be spreading weed seeds.

The uncomposted straw will rob the soil of nitrates initially, but once the
straw breaks down the nitrates will be released again and available to your
plants.

I'd suggest you get everyone together and build a compost container from old
railway sleepers, or something similar if at all possible. This would give
everyone a large heap to place compostable waste on and ensure the heap got
nice and hot to kill off and weed roots/seeds. Most small heaps just don't get
hot enough, and are often a lot slower to break things down into usable
compost.

Just my opinion, FWIW.

Dave.