"Paul" wrote in message
...
I'm preparing an area of garden for growing vegetables later this /
early next year - is it OK to dig "fresh" manure into the planting
area then leave it for a few weeks, or should it be rotted beforehand?

What sort of fresh manure are you talking about? Horse, cow, sheep,
chicken?
I killed my rhubarb stone dead when I was a newbie gardener by putting fresh
manure from my chickens on it. I thought it would do it good..
I now rot all manure down on my 2 compost heaps for a year, even better, two
,when it looks like soil again and can be dug in or used as a mulch with
abandon ;-)