Allotments 4 All

Happy new yr to you all and a prosperous one it be i hope,

Manure ?? horse, chicken, Green manure i understand what about the likes of pig manure ? is there any reason that pig manure doesnt get mentioned ?  is there any particular reason for that or is it as good as the rest

carl

There  is a good reason for NOT using pig manure - the technical term is the "olfactory response mechanism".

God - the stuff stinks!  And it's a sticky smell - it clings to you and your clothes.  :-)

I grew up in a house, surrounded on all sides by one farmer's land.  When he used pig slurry, it didn't matter which way the wind blew - I can still smell it now 40 years later  :-( :-( :-(


Seriously though, my little and very old book says of "Dung (Pig)"

- contains more nitrogen than horse manure;
- is too strong for direct application, but excellent when mixed with leaf mould, earth and other substances;
- often used (this is the 1930's) in making compost heaps for mulchng and other purposes.


And just for fun, he's included a table analysing the contents and value (wildly different) of guano from different origins - from Curacao, Huanillos, Ichaboe, Falkland Islands, Lacepede Island, Malden Island, Mejillones, Pabellon de Pica, Patagonia, Penguin Island, etc etc etc;  eeeh, you had to know your stuff in them days - no garden centres then!  :-)

All best - Gavin

Actually I've got a question about manure too !!  ::)
A friend of ours works in Colchester zoo as an elephant keeper, and  has tons (literally) of the elephant (and rhinoceros) variety!! and has asked us if we could make use of it on the lottie.
Any thoughts anyone??

Wattapain...if the zoo poo is any good for the plot, and you have more zoo poo than you can handle (phewee) then we are chelmsford way and I would happily fill the boot up with elephant poo...don't know what Ava would say, but poo is poo, and I bet it would make a stonking stinking great big hot bed for monster marrows and pumpkins!

Quote from: wattapain on January 03, 2005, 18:05:45
Actually I've got a question about manure too !!  ::)
A friend of ours works in Colchester zoo as an elephant keeper, and  has tons (literally) of the elephant (and rhinoceros) variety!! and has asked us if we could make use of it on the lottie.
Any thoughts anyone??

I really do not think poo from herbivore will be a problem. I use cow/horse/sheep in various quantities.

Pigs are omnivores, or at least partly so, and this may cause a small problem. I would not use carnivore poo, even if it is just from the smell point of view.

Jerry
(Am I the only one who likes the smell of good manure? Must be by farming background, love the smell of silage too!)

Hefalump dung-most certainly. When I had my first lottie this old chap always used to barrow loads after the travelling circus-and he grew amazing stuff.

Can`t say I am sad to see the back of such events but if you can get it from a place that respects captive animals like those then get it.

Stephan

OK guys'n'gals, thanks for your replies, I think I'll go for this. Not looking forward to bringing it home in my car though as I'm told that no matter how well you bag it and seal it , the memory lingers for days!!!
And Emma, if there really is more than enough, I will get in touch and pass some your way.   ;) Itprobably won't be till at least next weekend before I get it though.
Terri

Wattapain, you star!  Industrial sized air freshners for your car!  Hey, heres a thought.....hire one!  :D ;) :o

Meanwhile,  back at Carl's original question.

Pig muck (and all the others discussed above) provides good organic matter when composted.

The smell comes from any muck if it isn't handled (in the loosest sense) properly (I don't think slurry does anything but fester and smell). So if there is straw beeding with the pig muck just stack it and wait for 6 months, otherwise add plenty of carbon rich material - straw, old hay, paper, cardboard (old egg boxes are good), the remains of herbaceous plnats that could do with tidying up in the next couple of months and again wait

Phil

I use horse, but that's because it's all I can get. I ride so have easy access to the stuff. There aren't any farms or zoos near me!

Pig Manure is good stuff .As they dont feed pigs on hay you dont get the grass seedlings growing as You can with horse muck..
I think some real strong plastic bags and You are ok....
Pheeew...
IT is a lot cooler then Hen manure etc as well

Pseudomyn is absolutely right!  Most peeps who keep free range pigs, have lots of friends who feed them veggie peelings and apples (especially if  they happen to be in the SE). Take it with well protected open arms but will do great things for the garden.  Do remember to give it a little time though, just as horse manure but maybe less time, it needs to rot a little!

Aren't you the lucky one!

What do they feed elephants on?
How well is it digested?

Monkey poo? end up with loads of bananas growing on plot............ ;D

hehehehee. or Monkey nuts!  :o   Hephalumps are veggies so I believe and I think at the zoo, well I have seen them at colchester anyhow, munching on straw, fruit and veggies.  The highlight of my kids year last year was hand feeding the hephs at Cholchester....mine was handfeeding the giraffes - they are my fave!  :D 

Giraffes are amazing thngs when you see them close up, but their poo is harder to get off the ground cos of their long legs!! ::)