Kitchen Garden Forum

I have, over many years, been an enthusiastic user of well rotted horse manure on the veggie plot with reasonable results.

I have read recently that there are some "experts" that now say that although the manure is a good/excellent soil conditioner, it should only be used sparingly on the veg plot as it does not contain as many nutrients and trace elements needed for healthy and copious vegetable production. This goes against my understanding of , what I thought, was good gardening practice. Any thoughts please.

It is not strictly true but I always assume organic composts have little or no direct nutrient value. What they do is improve the texture of the soil and what you might call the biodiversity. These things help make nutrients available to the plants and promote good root structures to improve nutrient take up. So carry on using as much organic matter as you can find (not sparingly) but don't rely on it completely, add fertilizer as well.

That sounds very logical and and confirms what I have found out since posting my original query. Just goes to show that no matter how long one has been gardening, you never stop learning. Thanks Geoff.

I'm definitely with Geoff on this; horse manure with plenty of straw, if it has been well composted (to kill weed seeds) along with other manures, cow muck or in college called FYM (Farm Yard Manure) is the best thing you can use for conditioning soil, adding humus, increasing bacterial load and feeding worms. Go with it. But as Geoff says, its actual NPK values are quite low, so you need to add a bit of growmore or whatever your choice of fertiliser may be. One caution is raw chicken manure and raw pig manure. Both are high in nitrogen, so much so it can burn plants if you use too much. That's why I never use chicken pellets they are a bit unbalanced in composition.

Another really good topic and you might have thought fit for discussion because this is what will affect every person growing vegatables but the reponse is very interesting but why do not people put their two pennyworth in! Such a shame.

When we had our allotment for 35 years, we had a (cow) manure delivery from the farmer every spring. He just tipped a big pile from the field next door onto our allotment with his forend loader. We covered it with black plastic until the following winter and then spread it. It made our soil into beautiful dark friable stuff, quite different from the soil on the vegetable patch in our garden. BUT, now having spread manure onto our garden patch for the last three years, it's getting there. The effect is really noticeable. I still use Growmore on it and/or liquid seaweed food, but it's the manure which is improving the structure of the soil.

Having taken up 40yr old + hardstanding to get a new veg patch established, I was faced with horrible stony, claggy clay with lots of dead roots in it. I have since added 20 bags of Mr. Muck composted manure and the soil is looking a little better. I am feeding well this year, as the ground has been covered and dormant for I've no idea how long. Worms are appearing, I did transport some from the flower borders to get things going! I will continue to add organic matter each winter, hoping to achieve the beautiful crumbly soil we had at our old allotment.

Sadly, having been "bit" by horsey people's or their hay suppliers use of Aminopyralid based broad-leaved weedkiller, I'm wary of it.
If guaranteed untainted I'd have it.

I'm keener on cow manure but only if well rotted! The horse manure delivered to the site is wood chip mostly, little straw or manure in the mix. Luckily there is a dairy farm not far from the plot so every few years I ask for some & it is delivered to the plot on his tractor. The last delivery was huge to compensate me for having to wait so long for him to get the tractor into the field to the heap to deliver due to the wet weather, (Glad it wasn't this year as I would still be waiting)! Lots of other plot holders benefited as well from his generosity.

I use it to improve the soil, there are benefits to sandy over clay in graft to prep beds but not so much in supporting crops with their nutritional needs. I do have a clay layer about 3' down but years of river dredgings over the top so basically just helping them meet in the middle somewhere so the crops roots can get to the clay for the moisture if nothing else.

I use chicken manure pellets by soaking them in water for a day or so and then using just the liquid. Even then I find foxes digging holes where I'v poured it. I guess they're disappointed!