Questions about manure ?

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Apr 11, 2005 2:45 pm

Hey all~

I found a farmer freind that said I could get some from his pile, but now another friend told dh he did this and fought weeds bad. I thought if it had been a hot pile and you dug down to get the good and hot stuff that the seeds were killed? I am thinking perhaps this guy dug off the fresh stuff.

Am I wrong or is this freind wrong?

Thanks. BTW..........what's the best manure info? From animals that don't 'free reign<sp?>'? Is that the word, where they don't eat out in the fields?

Mary Ann · Post by **Mary Ann** » Apr 11, 2005 4:22 pm

Jane, you have the right idea. Cows and horses that are pastured produce a lot more weed seeds, in addition to the air borne seeds the wind may carry into the pile. If this product is put straight into a garden, weeds flourish. Barnyard manure should always be composted lst.

I collect bedding from a riding stable. selecting the darkest stuff I can find, then compost it with leaves and grass clippings until all the ingredients are no longer recognizable.

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Apr 11, 2005 4:34 pm

Okay, so I am putting in a new veggie garden this spring. I'm weeding it now. What amendments should I do to soil that is sandy and dry beside peat moss? There will be some perennials of course and I can pocket those as they'll stay in one spot. But what should I do to the sandy soil to improve it for this year? It's 25 X 25 and I'd hate to have buy bags of composted manure. I have some compost but not near enough

Mary Ann · Post by **Mary Ann** » Apr 11, 2005 9:55 pm

It takes years of amending to make a good garden soil, but you can start now. Get whatever you can locally that's cheap or free. Municipal yard waste, neighborhood yard sweepings, spoiled hay, landscaper waste? Lay it over the soil and let it compost in place. Plant thru it, don't till. Enrich the planting holes with the compost you have. I think Chris gets compost from Lansing by the truckload. Is that near you?

Mary Ann, who doesn't have sandy soil or a veggie garden.

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Apr 11, 2005 10:20 pm

No, he's about 2 or 2 1/2 hours from here

Probably a good thing, or I'd be over there too often!

I'll have to call around and see what I can find as cheap as possible. We're rural, so........hmmmmm...have to see, thanks

Homer_Zn5 · Post by **Homer_Zn5** » Apr 19, 2005 6:38 pm

I use a lot of fairly well composted horse manure, as I have a horse stable about 2 miles (or less) down the road from me. I just pile it on top of my hosta beds and use a narrow rake every week to turn over the weeds before they get large enough to root in well. After about 4 weeks, most of the weed seed population has been adequately thinned. My older beds are a little more problematic, as I have not yet piled on the manure there to make it easy enough to rake out the weeds.

Tony Avent indicated that he uses a similar method of eliminating weed seeds by prepping beds with lots of manure, then tilling 3 times at 1 week intervals, then planting. He indicated that this virtually eliminates the base of weed seeds that might be present.

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Apr 20, 2005 11:21 am

That's what I am doing now, tilling, raking out the worse of it, waiting a week and tilling and raking out again. But haven't amended yet, as this was a field and don't want to waste the amendments getting thrown out with the weeds.

I did use roundup the other day, hate to do it, but with this grass, it's impossible to get rid off sometimes, so a little help I hope.

Thanks for everyone's help. All is welcomed

whis4ey · Post by **whis4ey** » Apr 20, 2005 12:24 pm

spent mushroom compost can be cheap or free and makes a very good additive

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Apr 20, 2005 12:46 pm

Well now, just where would I begin to look for that?

janet · Post by **janet** » Apr 20, 2005 1:31 pm

You didn't mention the source of the manure, Jane. Cow, horse, etc. Manure from rumanants (animals that chew their cuds and have multiple stomachs...cows, goats, sheep...camels, llama

) will have fewer weed seeds since the stomach contents are processed more times than grazers like horses. Aging (at least six months) and composting manures is more to prevent the burning of plants from the ammonia content than to reduce the weed production. Also, pathogens are an issue when using manure in a vegetable garden, as most home composting methods do not get hot enough, for long enough, to kill them. Composted plant material is a much better choice for veggies.

whis4ey · Post by **whis4ey** » Apr 20, 2005 2:42 pm

Jane ... surely there is someone who grows mushrooms comercially near you?
If not ... I can send you some

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Apr 20, 2005 7:21 pm

Sure Sam, about how many yards you willing to ship to over here!

Thanks, I'll look and ask around, don't know anyone, b/c everyone i know just goes out mushrooming this time of year for their years supply