A question about poo

[sgtsheart]

for lack of a better way to phrase it. :/
We don't have a compost bin yet. It's kinda low on the list right now. What I do have is (literally) tons of cow manure. I just got the shovel and tossed several patties out of the driveway cuz we've grown tired of trying to back the vehicles out without hitting it.
When the patties are good and dry and light brown in color, how would I use them as a fertilizer? My SO says just break some up, mix with water, and use it; but he admits to not being very garden savvy.

 

[Reinbeau]

You need to compost it before you use it, unless it's early enough to till it in and let it mellow right in the soil - at least three weeks worth, if not a full month. To compost it you need to let it mellow for about four to six months. It'll burn your plants if you don't.

 

[OCMG]

You can make compost tea and that only takes about 3-4 days.

Get a bucket of water and put some poo in it and stir every day for the 3-4 days, you can either use a watering can or sprayer and spray away hitting the whole plant, but I would not spray the whole plant if it has fruit or veg on it already.

Got that from an expert organic gardener, forgot his name , say him at a lecture.

hope that helps,

 

[sgtsheart]

Cool beans! Thanks! :watering

 

[KeyLimePie]

You can make a quick & easy compost bin by fastening 3 wooden pallets together on their sides to make an open square, then hinge or bungee a fourth for a door.

Otherwise, just pile the pats in one place and in a few months you can start using the most aged ones.

That's good stuff for your garden, your plants will be grateful!

 

[patandchickens]

An even quicker easier compost bin, if you happen to have the material, is to take a length of old wire mesh fencing (I use 6x12" mesh field fencing because it's what I've got, but smaller mesh would be ok too) and bend it into a circle. Use whatever length you have, it takes about 10 feet of fencing to make a circle one yard across but bigger is better. Tie the ends together with one or two twisted bits of wire or baler twine to keep it in a circle, dump the compost inside, and there ya go. When you want to use, move or turn it, just undo the ties, remove the fencing and go to town. VERY easy.

Pat