Hi Country Bumpkin, well-rotted manure is just manure that has been composted down. You can tell it's rotted down because it is crumbly in texture and sweet-smelling. Adding fresh manure to your beds can leach nutrients from the soil and can even scorch delicate plants, so it's important to make sure it's 'well-rotted'. The best way to rot down manure is to pile it up on its own and cover it with tarpaulin or similar material, and leave it for about six months. Don't add it to your compost heap, as it can leach ammonia and lead to the loss of nutrients from the compost. Hope this helps! Kate
Can anyone give me a guide of how much manure to lay? I've just started an allotment and have made my first small bed and have no idea how much manure I'll need (I'm planning to buy bags of ready rotted manure to get me going as it's late in the season). Thanks Caroline
I'd like to get a wormery but I'm not sure which to buy. The sort like a big bin are cheaper but look harder to manage than the sort that have 2 or 3 trays for the worms to work through. I looked on line but got very confused by sellers rubbishing the competition! I only want a small one -any advice or unbiased recommendations would be welcome
I have a horse at a large yard so have the choice of quite different manures! This might be an odd question, but which is best? Grass fed, hard feed fed (oats, corn etc.) and it normally comes from their stables so is mixed with a bit of straw or shavings. Are any of these better than others? I'm thinking of growing raspberries. I've dug a trench for them, can I bung in a fresh pile and let it rot until they're ready to plant in? Or should I let it rot elsewhere?
I have a plastic compost bin which is filled with mainly garden waste and fruit and vegetable waste but it has attracted hundreds of flies and wasps so much so that I can't near it to turn the compost - any ideas?
We're putting in 120 metres of new hedging. Can anyone tell us how much mulch we will need? We're thinking of using horse manure or leaves (we get plenty falling around here) both of which we can source for free or very cheaply. Will fresh horse manure damage hedging?
Helping avocados survive the winter. I disappear to Australia for 3 months in winter & to preserve tender plants eg cannas I bury them in horse manure. This year I have two avocados,about 150 cms high,flourishing in a sheltered corner of my garden. Will burying them in horse manure help them survive until I return in April..or is there a better way ?
I have a large area which for the last 8 months has had 30 chickens messing on it every day. The chickens are now off to a new home and I was wondering if it is okay to use this area to plant veg straight away or should I leave it a while in case the soil is too toxic.
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Thanks Caroline
Is this theme good unough for the Digg?
I disappear to Australia for 3 months in winter & to preserve tender plants eg cannas I bury them in horse manure.
This year I have two avocados,about 150 cms high,flourishing in a sheltered
corner of my garden. Will burying them in horse manure help them survive until I return in April..or is there a better way ?