02-07-2003, 07:09 PM
|
|
|
Horse manure in a pit question
writes:
So I've dug these 4' deep by 5' diameter pits in order to put soil into my
potato tire towers. A kind friend gave me a load of reasonably dry horse
manure, which nicely filled the pits back up to grade level. What do I do
with this stuff now? Keep it moist so it will rot? Cover it with dirt? Put
wood shavings on top? Buy some worms and let'em loose? The surrounding
soil,
by the way, is compacted sand - it drains well, but is stable enough to
maintain a vertical hole as deep as I care to dig...
You are very fortunate, Dick, for such a gift. If you have plants to
spread a thin layer around, use it for that. You can just leave it in a
pile for future use. No need to keep it moist, it'll take care of itself.
As for the worms, they will come, no need to purchase any. The horse
manure I'm fortunate enough to get for my garden includes and unbelievable
amount of earthworms; they are doing their thing. After the worms are
finished with it, the "product" is the richest soil a person could desire.
You might want to just leave it in a pile and add it to the pits you
have filled now; the manure in the pits will shrink as the earthworms work
on them, as well as the rain settling it through the coming months.
You can certainly start a compost bin with it, using just fence wire as
the bin if you wish, and start laying horse manure and vegetative matter.
You will have potting soil that will be the envy of your gardening friends.
The horse manure I've been fortunate to get in past years had a generous
supply of oak leaves in it and was several months aged so it was
absolutely premium to spread on the garden and rototill in for the current
season.
Just my thoughts and my experience.
Glenna
|