Topic: Horse manure arrived - what next?

[cocopops]

Some good friends of ours (and recipients of our eggs) have delivered a trailer load of well rotted manure.  My veg patch has been a complete nightmare due to poor, shallow soil.  I thought that adding  some manure in December may help to fix it.  

The problem is the veg patch has grown over, rock solid and needs rotivating.  We use a neighbours machine and my OH is a bit cagey about me doing it  ;).   We are possibly having an guest for Christmas mso OH is spending all his spare time trying to construct bedrooms in our bare loft.

Basically, can I leave the manure until after Christmas then plant next year or will I have to leave it longer?  I would prefer not to have a pile of manure in my garden for a year but if needs must.

[BarriedaleNick]

What is it grown over with?

If you have perenial weeds they are going to be  pig to dig out now and rotavating will just make it worse unless you get everything out.
I'd cover your pile and leave it until early next year - then weed, dig and apply manure - nothing much is going to grow now anyway and annual weeds are likely to die off anyway.
But if you can face a dig now then all the better! 

[manicscousers]

don't know if it will work for you, we covered the weeds with very thick cardboard, then manure, weed control and , in spring, uncovered and planted stuff .. got rid of the weeds and got some very reasonable crops from it , or cover with weed control and plant courgettes, squash etc  ;D

[Unwashed]

I'm not a big fan of rotavators.  Good soil needs a good structure, and rotavating knocks the structure out of the soil.  If it was me I'd strim off the weed and compost it, dig the ground rough with a fork - hardly knocking it down at all - and then spread the dung now.  Dung will help - it'll help a lot - but you need to cultivate the soil.

[tonybloke]

hoe down the weeds, then cover with cardboard, then spread manure on that, about 2 Inches thick, finally cover with a 6 inch layer of straw. water the straw well, (this will encourage it to bind together, gluten softened by water) may need to hold down straw for a week or so, possibly with chicken wire?as it will bind together, and stay put in all but the most severe wind.
check out this thread
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,56002.msg569873.html#msg569873

[Digindep]

Personally...each year ...spread it over the pre-dug area, let the worms and nature take its course...may dig it over about late Jan-earlyFeb..depending on weather... other than that....nothing...
But before the tatties ect go in, give the area a good diggin' over...
Okay if you've got straw ...cover the top soil first...the spread the muck over...

Cardboard won't do any harm..it will only rot away..but..I'd put the cardboard down first to supress the weeds, then the straw...and the that loverly...manure.....enjoy... ;)

[manicscousers]

Hiya, digindep, welcome to the mad house  ;D

[Digindep]

Hiya, digindep, welcome to the mad house  ;D
[/quoteCould of Sworn I wrote in Digindeep....not Digindep!!!

There yas goes....thats lofe init''''

an thanks for the welcome  'Mani' ;) ;) ;)

[saddad]

Welcome to A4A Digindeep....  :)

[1066]

weclome anorl from me Digindeep  ;D

As to the manure question - I reckon manics tonyblokes ideas sound good  .....

[shaun01]

what i do is dig a trench and fill with shite then weed and pile the soil on top has i make my way round my beds back braking but no easy ways to get the stuff in and the weeds out then i will till and weed in February apply bfb and other bits and bobs leave it for 6 weeks then plant the beds up i enjoy doing it and get a lot less weeds  :D

[cocopops]

Thank you so much for all the replies.  I have caught the flu off my children so not been reading the site as much as normal.

I actually have loads of cardboard boxes ready for re-cycling at the tip. Makes good sense to use these as well.  The friend who gave me the manure will happily give me some 'used' straw from the stable.  Sound like a really good idea.

Also thanks Tonybloke for the link, it made facinating reading.  I am definately going to give it a go, due to my lack of success so far I don't really have anything to lose.