Topic: Manure for pumpkin and butternut

[Al37]

Hi all,
I have been told that pumpkins and butternut squash will be just as happy in fresh horse manure as they would in well rotted.
Is this really true? ???
I am growing both for the first time and have access to plenty of both fresh and well rotted manure, so before I start to barrow tuns of the stuff which shall I go for ;D

[Suzanne]

Iwouldn't use fresh manure for anything - it still has too much urea/ammonia in ti and likely to burn plants.

I have put fresh manure as a mulch on soil and covered at this time of year so i can plant next year when the soil microbes have done their stuff and had fantastic results.

[kt.]

Ensure the manure is at least 6 months old,  the older the better.  Both should flourish apparently.  I have had no luck with pumpkins but this year intend to put at least 2 hefty sized shovel fulls of manure in each hole I will be planting butternuts and pumpkins.

[Al37]

Hi and thanks for the replies.
To be honest I would have gone for the well rotted manure anyway but one of the guys on the site told me fresh is fine for pumpkin etc.
One of the other small holdings has had horses on it for over 30 years and the pile is huge. its just a case barrowing it about 50 yards ;D

[chriscross1966]

I grew my pumpkin on fresh horse field manure (not stable) and it's done well for me.... 6 pumpkins on one plant in the 3-6Kg range.....