You're not being dim at all - there's a lot of info here - any fresh manure can damage plants as it's high in nitrogen et al and can scorch so with fresh stuff, I water down - e.g I have a big bucket - in it I placed about 3 or 4 spadefuls of manure - mostly apples not a lot of shavings/straw (I picked them out - a glove is optional )
I poured about 3 gallons of water in and stirred up - leaving it for a week or more (stirring everyday) and then will pour on to my beds and dig it in - even then, I won't plant anything for about 4 weeks
When left for a few months, your manure will rot - quicker in warm weather - you will tell when it's ready because it isn't yellow - well-rotted manure does not smell of anything more pungent than sweet earthiness and it tends to be dark brown, even black. You should not be able to distinguish individual pieces of straw or hay as it will all be rotted down this doesn't have to be a year, could be 3 or 4 months
Perhaps ask at the stables if they have a pile and if so, take from the bottom - if it's like where I get mine though, it's turned out fresh to be taken away
So yes - manure left for a year (or less in warm weather) can go onto beds and manure rotted for a shorter time can go straight into soil for planting
Remember - it should be dark brown or black, not smell and not be full of straw etc - just like your garden compost is rich, dark peat at the bottom
I might just dump it straight on the beds and just leave it a while then. I have lots of things to do anyway so I don't mind one area of the garden waiting. Many thanks Road Apple
You're welcome - I wouldn't consider myself an expert by any means so please feel free to check elsewhere but my grandad was a nurseryman and I remember piles of manure, rotting away etc - in his day, gardeners would rush out and scoop up 'road apples' with a coal shovel if a horse passed and then passed
This is my home made horse manure composter - I've filled the bottom bit in now (to stop apples rolling out) 3/4 full of poop and should be perfect by the autumn!
I'm going to build me one of them Road Apple Stew, been keeping it in old bags. We can get really fresh just down the road though. Been going a few miles to get the more rotted stuff. Cooking my own fresh stuff makes plenty of sense to me.
Edd - it's only a personal thing but I found that in my old bin (last house) even after years, the eggshell had not rotted down at all and neither had the outside of the teabag so consequently I had handfuls of shell and fluffy stuff.
Loose tea is fine, as is coffee grounds in the wet paper filters
I may however use crushed eggshell when I make home made tomato food
Gemma - I am no master carpenter but if you look, I already had a right angle of breeze block so I used scrap wood as batons and nailed planks (from old pallets) to them - The top (bonnet) is hardboard with some leftover roof felt tacked to it - it's all a bit Heath Robinson but who cares? I'm happy with it and if it smells too bad in the summer, I'll throw a tarp or something over it - to be fair, once it starts to rot down, it doesn't smell much at all and the wood shavings (came with the road apples) give it a nice pine aroma!
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You're not being dim at all - there's a lot of info here - any fresh manure can damage plants as it's high in nitrogen et al and can scorch so with fresh stuff, I water down - e.g I have a big bucket - in it I placed about 3 or 4 spadefuls of manure - mostly apples not a lot of shavings/straw (I picked them out - a glove is optional
)
I poured about 3 gallons of water in and stirred up - leaving it for a week or more (stirring everyday) and then will pour on to my beds and dig it in - even then, I won't plant anything for about 4 weeks
When left for a few months, your manure will rot - quicker in warm weather - you will tell when it's ready because it isn't yellow - well-rotted manure does not smell of anything more pungent than sweet earthiness and it tends to be dark brown, even black. You should not be able to distinguish individual pieces of straw or hay as it will all be rotted down this doesn't have to be a year, could be 3 or 4 months
Perhaps ask at the stables if they have a pile and if so, take from the bottom - if it's like where I get mine though, it's turned out fresh to be taken away
So yes - manure left for a year (or less in warm weather) can go onto beds and manure rotted for a shorter time can go straight into soil for planting
Remember - it should be dark brown or black, not smell and not be full of straw etc - just like your garden compost is rich, dark peat at the bottom
You're welcome - I wouldn't consider myself an expert by any means so please feel free to check elsewhere but my grandad was a nurseryman and I remember piles of manure, rotting away etc - in his day, gardeners would rush out and scoop up 'road apples' with a coal shovel if a horse passed and then passed
This is my home made horse manure composter - I've filled the bottom bit in now (to stop apples rolling out) 3/4 full of poop and should be perfect by the autumn!
Don't grow onions in it as it can make them rot.
It is purely for storage and rotting down of horse manure - I also have a bin for kitchen waste / grass cuttings etc (but not teabags or eggshell)
I'm going to build me one of them Road Apple Stew, been keeping it in old bags. We can get really fresh just down the road though. Been going a few miles to get the more rotted stuff. Cooking my own fresh stuff makes plenty of sense to me.
Edd - it's only a personal thing but I found that in my old bin (last house) even after years, the eggshell had not rotted down at all and neither had the outside of the teabag so consequently I had handfuls of shell and fluffy stuff.
Loose tea is fine, as is coffee grounds in the wet paper filters
I may however use crushed eggshell when I make home made tomato food
Gemma - I am no master carpenter but if you look, I already had a right angle of breeze block so I used scrap wood as batons and nailed planks (from old pallets) to them - The top (bonnet) is hardboard with some leftover roof felt tacked to it - it's all a bit Heath Robinson but who cares? I'm happy with it and if it smells too bad in the summer, I'll throw a tarp or something over it - to be fair, once it starts to rot down, it doesn't smell much at all and the wood shavings (came with the road apples) give it a nice pine aroma!