"Dee" wrote in message

Fresh manure can be used as a top mulch, but IME it's very important
to make sure the manure does not directly touch any plants, as it
will cause problems (burning, stunting) otherwise. Top mulching of
the manure allows rain water to seep through it and down to the roots
of the plants, effectively giving them 'manure tea', while the
wormies go to work incorporating it into the soil. It may be that by
next spring there will be nothing left to turn under into the soil,
as the worms will have done it for you. That has been my experience,
anyway.

Mine too. Bloody good stuff is horse poo, but the Brits have had problems
with weed killers spread on pastures contaminating the poos - it's then gone
on to kill plants in gardens. I don't have this problem in my country and
it appears that the worst thing to do with the weedkiller infested British
horse poo is to pile it and try to 'age' it - the poison apparently doesn't
break down going that route but does if spread.