Hi everyone,
sorry its another beginners question here!Having well dug four of our six large beds,we were planning to spread over our recently delivered manure as a thick mulch now.I seem to have read somewhere that it will break down and can be forked in during early Spring.However I 've recently been reading differing ideas on here.The beds are empty and dug over ,so would it do any harm to spread it now,or would we be better leaving the heap until early Spring.The manure is in a sort of half rotted state ,quite sweet smelling and we have it heaped on an old carpet and covered with the same.All help gratefully received :D
    All the best Sue
Well, I normally heap mine over winter and cover it, and then put it onto the soil in early spring. this is because my plot is on very heavy clay, it floods in winter, and all the nutrients would wash away into the ditches.
But others do it differently....
i'll be copying you then jennym, mine's clay too!
Tara xx
I don't spread anything now as I do not want nutrients washing away - I will do it in Spring too.
PS I am not on clay.
Ive got fine sandy soil, all my beds have been dug over and weeded then a thick layer of horse manure spread over the top (all except where I'm planning to plant carrots etc). I have not covered mine though, just laid it on top. Then occasionally when I go up to the allotment I just fork them over mixing manure and soil together.
This is my first year so I'm not sure if this is right or not  ??? but all my neighbours with years of experiance seem to be doing the same  ;D
I read an article in (I think the Kitchen Garden mag) and it said to put manure where you want it now but cover it up with plastic (not sheet mulch) so the rain runs off. So the worms can take it down but the goodness doesn't get washed away.
Many thanks for the kind replies.We've already mulched one bed,but I think that we might leave the rest heaped and covered until Spring as lots of you suggest and then we can see which method will work best for us.To be honest ,I was so excited at getting our'muck'that I could'nt wait to get spreading ::)!!!!!Its the best twenty quid we've ever spent.As my son would say,"Oh mum,you are sad!"
     Best wishes,Sue :)
With beds that are free this year I've been covering with a layer of manure and compost and then putting cardboard on top (weighed down with stones). My garlic bed was half mulched with compost and the other half had same amount of compost dug in as an experiment. So far the mulched half seems to be doing better.
Mostly I did it at this time of the year this year because there's not much else to do and I just needed to do something!
That's very true Aqui :)
With my sandy beds, they tend to drain very easily, so nutrients can get washed away readily, hence I add manure etc in the early spring, perhaps february.
Derekthefox :D