What Should I Do With This Sh-, er, um, ahem, cough Manure

[OldGuy43]

Went out into the pasture today and got this load of horse manure.

Since I'm not planning on planting until February I thought I'd just work it into the soil. Good idea or bad? The other possibility of course is to put it into my compost heap. As you can see some of it has already been composted by nature, some is really fresh.

Later on I'm going to get another load with straw mixed in. Same question.

 

[mythkat]

That's what I do with my chicken stuff. By Spring it has rotted and isn't hot anymore.

 

[vfem]

Age it and hoard it!

I collect horse manure from a neighbor's barn, and we pile it up in the winter to use in spring. Then I usually use it around the fruit trees, they love it!

 

[Kassaundra]

I just found a source for free pig poop and wood chips, :rose since my girls (sorry chickens a BYC habit calling my chickens the girls) are all in the garden now (at least the majority of the garden) I have been piling it in a big compost pile, I'm hoping by spring it will be ready, but if not I'll just use it when it is ready.

 

[Just-Moxie]

Compost it!! Hoard it!! I gather from my neighbors cows too...across the street. I can only get what is in the corners by the fence though.

 

[OldGuy43]

Compost it!! Hoard it!! I gather from my neighbors cows too...across the street. I can only get what is in the corners by the fence though.

Hoard it? You've got to be kidding. I have an 18 acre pasture and currently 6 horses supplying all I could ever need. My question is, is there any reason not to just work it into the soil in my garden now since I won't be planting until February? My theory is that it would compost in the garden just as well as if it were in a formal heap.

 

[Just-Moxie]

well, I was just teasing I would think you could work it into the soil......as long as it isn't right next to growing roots on plants and veggies.

 

[Kassaundra]

That's what I would do, just put it in the garden, the only reason I don't is my chickies are in there now and I don't want fresh poop in there run areas. (In case of parasites or stuff like that)

 

[digitS']

the FreeDictionary -- Manure:

From Middle English manuren, to cultivate land, from Anglo-Norman mainouverer, from Vulgar Latin *manuoperare, to work with the hands : Latin manu, ablative of manus, hand; see man-2 in Indo-European roots + Latin operari, to work; see op- in Indo-European roots.]

Work it into that hard soil. The microbes will make good use of it over the next several months. Some gardeners use aged horse manure as a mulch but that scares me a little for the veggie garden. They can also get into trouble with accumulated salts in corrals but that shouldn't be a problem for you.

Steve

 

[momofdrew]

Horse manure can have viable seeds in it and cow manure doesnt...I would till it into the soil....