Kitchen Garden Forum

I know there are other threads on animal waste problems / manure - but they didn't seem quite on ther points that I want to clarrify, so hope noone minds me starting a new thread.

So which manure is best?! I'm lucky enough to have access to Cow, sheep & horse. The cow & the sheep is with straw, can be well rotted but normally has stingers in by then (not that i mind pulling them out of the beds when they are small).
The horse muck is under my control - in the summer I can get it from the fields on its own, in the winter I try to bring as little bedding back with it as possible, fresh & put it in with my compost. However in an old book I have it does say I can put horse manure straight onto the garden...is this true - i havent so far?.
In winter, this year I'm trying hemp bedding - cause its meant to rot quicker than shavings ... anyone tried using manure with hemp bedding?

So basically I want to know which ones I should be bothering to lug back to the garden - they are in different places & both car jeurney away from the garden, but should I keep bringing a mix back, or is there one that i should consentrate on? This year I really want to use far more than I have previously - cause i think the garden needs it.

I really would be grateful for some proper advice or references to books / sites with more scientific references to this subject. I want to do this a bit more 'proper'!

Thanks

Hello Slip

I would get all the manure you can from any source, preferably mixed with straw, and stack it under a cover, let it rot then use it either at autumn or spring time.
Practically I do not think you should take an analytical approach to animal manure e.g. if you are concerned about its balance of NPK it depends on many factors including the food on which the animal was feed and the amount of straw and weeds within it. The best manure contains plenty of straw and should be stacked with a cover on it until it rots. Unlike compost you should not turn it and need to exclude any air and just let time rot it down. All manure has goodness in it for the soil but you can never be sure if it’s balanced or not. Manure is a soil conditioner, will promote earthworm activity, help light soils retain moisture, help heavy soils drain moisture and provide a slow release fertilizer.

I have never heard of horse manure being used without rotting it first.

I have used manure for years and it is all variable some full of weed seeds some not. The best results I had one year was from spreading strawy pig manure but the neighbours weren’t so keen!

Dare I suggest it, but if you also require a faster acting solution consider an application of good old National Growmore just before sowing time I think it has 777 NPK % ratio, so is considered a balanced fertilizer. I am sure other contributors will have their views.

All the best

Barney