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Fresh horse manure for allotment
Filipemacedo73795
Posts: 4
in Fruit & veg
Hi all,
I'm currently doing some raised beds and was wondering if it was a good idea to do the following:
I've built my raised beds 2.4m X 1.2M and I've placed down my cardboard.
I then add some wood chippings/clippings just to build my base a little.
My next plan was to utilise the stables near my allotment and use the free fresh horse manure (includes straw within the mix) and use this as another layer (again to bulk up my raised beds)
Leave this over winter and then add a layer of fresh shop bought compost/manure towards the end of March.
Does this sound like a feasible option?
Will the fresh horse manure rot down by the time March/April comes along?
I've currently got a big pile of it in a corner of my allotment but would rather spread it instead of letting it sit there.
Thanks for any help!
I'm currently doing some raised beds and was wondering if it was a good idea to do the following:
I've built my raised beds 2.4m X 1.2M and I've placed down my cardboard.
I then add some wood chippings/clippings just to build my base a little.
My next plan was to utilise the stables near my allotment and use the free fresh horse manure (includes straw within the mix) and use this as another layer (again to bulk up my raised beds)
Leave this over winter and then add a layer of fresh shop bought compost/manure towards the end of March.
Does this sound like a feasible option?
Will the fresh horse manure rot down by the time March/April comes along?
I've currently got a big pile of it in a corner of my allotment but would rather spread it instead of letting it sit there.
Thanks for any help!
0
Posts
We use the fresh horse manure at our allotments to do exactly the same thing. We spread it on our beds about one month ago, and it should be broken down by next Spring. We don't usually start planting things until closer to April/May, and even June for things like Tomatoes.
I wouldn't waste money on shop bought compost for your allotment. It would be very expensive, and doesn't contain much nutrients, plus it's sterile. It would be better to use any soil you can find, to top up your beds, plus any rotted manure. If you don't have enough soil at your allotments, then it would be better to buy top soil, and not compost.
We also store fresh manure at our plot, in large builders dumpy bags, and leave it about one year to break down. If you have enough manure, and the space to store it, then I also recommend doing this.