In article ,
Alan Gould wrote:
In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
| My father always said that putting manure down would result in an
| allotment full of weeds. No idea if this is true or not. Anyone got
| an opinion?
|
| Opps, should have said that Yes in my experience, manure guarantees
| weeds!

Neigh!

[ I.e. that is true only of horse manure. ]

Nice one Nick :-) .... but,

Neigh neigh! The same guarantee of weeds is also said about farmyard
manure, poultry manure, organic composting, non-organic composting,
mulching, green manure, dug up subsoil, bought in topsoil, failed
herbicides, flame-throwers, rotovating, recycled lawn mowings, going on
holiday, hired help, free help, good friends, bad neighbours, wet
weather, dry weather, sunspots, phases of the moon, ley lines, .... and
so on ad finitum.

I think that we are using a different interpretation of the question.
Rather like the difference between:

If I embed someone in a hundredweight of concrete and drop them
10 miles due west of Rockall, will it guarantee their demise?

and:

If I paint myself blue and dance naked under a full moon, will
it guarantee that the next solstice will occur?

The fact is that plants will grow on soil whatever happens. Really
attentive gardeners will see to it that they are only the plants of
their choice. Others, myself included, have the company of self-set
plants among those growing by intention.

Absolutely true. If wind and bird carried seeds do not grow on a
batch of compost or manure, then you have bought a pup.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.