On Mar 23, 8:50 am, "Dave T Scotland"
wrote:
Hi, - finding it difficult to come up with a clear answer to the
following. I'm sure there are some excellent knowledgeable people
out there....

We have 1/2 acre + huge polytunnel and try to grow good veggies for
ourselves... We also have access to lots of horse dung ('oss-
muck'),
but are not sure what we can use it on... The dung is fairly "pure",
i.e not much mixed up with straw bedding, and fresh-ish. Do we have
to compost it before we can use it? If so by mixing it with what? We
have access to lots of grass cuttings, but not hay/straw. Are there
any veggies that like it dug in "neat"? Or is it too strong for most
things???? Cheers....

Horse is not a very strong (ie hot) manure as it is high in undigested
fibre (the horse's gut is not particularly efficient) and low on
nitrogen (compared to chicken or other birds' manure) . Before you
use it do a test to see what germinates from it so that you don't
import a vast number of pasture weeds or start growing oats etc. If
it has many viable seeds in it you will have to hot compost it before
use. I don't have the problem as I feed the horses on my own
pasture. I use it three ways.

1) Around established trees and shrubs straight off the paddock.

2) Layered in the compost heap with kitchen scraps and trimmings/
prunings and grass from the yard. The compost is then used in the
normal way anwhere.

3) Heaped up to rot on its own. I am in a warm climate with many bugs
that live in the turds so it breaks down within a month or two. This
mellows it somewhat and breaks up the nuggets into a fine fluffy mix
that is easily dug in. I use this anywhere including the vege garden
in fairly large quantities. In a cold climate or one that does not
host so many dungbeetles, flies and midges it will take longer to
break down.

David