Just broke ground on a fallow field of weed trash, now should I fertilize?

[258 Pots]

I have a nice 70' by 100' area that had laid fallow since it was plowed and left in 2007. I raked up most of the dead trash and just ground in the live plants. I am now wondering if I should fertilize it and till in some good horse manure (it's all I can get that's free and that fits my budget )

I know the answer is yes but figured maybe you all could get me motivated for the heavy poop lifting...

Here is a pic before I completed tilling, did I mention I am 49 and this is my first garden. Not the first garden I cut, I made one previously for my lovely wife, this one is the first I ever made that I plan on planting in, why did it take me so long to get smart??? what a long strange trip it's been...

 

[seedcorn]

Can't answer.

How much is horse manure and how much wood shavings/straw?

Where is your pH?

Soil type-clay, sand, gravel?

Before plowing, great crop of weeds or spindly bunch?

 

[258 Pots]

I can get a mixture of horse manure with mixed in straw and wood shavings for the price of the work of moving it.

Soil, pH? um dirt, does anyone Idahoan know of the best source for soil tests?

Weeds where heavy in spots where the water gathered, otherwise not total ground cover in 8 years of laying fallow... I'm quite certain it needs something/anything, I have to stay organic and have squat so I'm thinking of warming up the pitchfork and shovels...

 

[seedcorn]

Organic rules out fertilizer.........you sure organic or just non-chemical and non-GMO?

Here's potential problem. The straw and wood shavings will tie up nitrogen. Needs to be composted first. I'm huge fan of manure but this lae in spring could cause problems if worked in.

Local county extension should be able to answer where to get soil tests.

 

[MontyJ]

Like seedcorn said, hard to answer that without knowing what you're working with.

Go here: http://www.al-labs-west.com/fee-schedule.php?section=Soil Analysis and choose the S1 test.

 

[MontyJ]

Do not dump that horse manure with bedding straight into the soil. Again, as seedcorn said, you're going to have to compost it first. It's going to take a lot of "greens" to cook it down. I've been down that road before. I made the mistake of having 22 yards of the stuff delivered to my house. I had every yard maintenance company I could find bringing their grass clippings to my house for free dumping and it still took me two years to get enough fresh cut grass to finish it all off.

 

[Smart Red]

As the others mentioned, right now there is a need for more info before accurate advice can be poffered.

It looks like you're in for a great adventure with your garden. Best of luck, hard work and fun, @XtreemLee.

 

[258 Pots]

There is no S1, many variations, what is the best test to get, obviously I know less than nothing about my dirt...

 

[thistlebloom]

You're in Idaho? Where abouts? I'm between CDA and Sandpoint.

I'm not going to answer the question because I know what I'd do and I don't want to encourage you to make a bad move. Listen to the much more patient and wise gardeners here.

That's a good price on the soil test from that lab Monty linked to. The Idaho Extension soil test will run about $30.

 

[MontyJ]

Sorry, S1B is the test you want. If you include your email addy on the test form, they will usually email the results to you followed up by a hard copy via snail mail.