On Mar 2, 9:06*pm, "SteveB" wrote:
I live in the middle of pasture land. *Lots of free cow patties. *My wife
seems to think that this would make good fertilizer, or at least good mulch
if tilled in.

Other than using fresh dung for the production of food, are there any
downsides to using manure? *I believe I once read that stall manure had high
levels of urea, and would not be good to put on plants. *This is pasture
manure, so it would not have as high urine level as stall manure.

Yeah, I know I can go buy fertilizer, too. *But I can also take the money I
save and go fishing a few times.

Tips and caveats on manure use? *Good/bad for flowers or areas where I am
going to put lawn?

Thanks.

Steve

everyone's basic information is spot on. I continually went "cow pie
pickin'" when I had a pasture right next door just over the electric
wire off my driveway at the former Faerie Holler. I loaded up a 5
gallon bucket, and carried it to my two wheel garden cart until it was
heaped up with both dry pats and fresh ones. No weed seeds because cow
heats up better than horse. Horse is weedier. I got to where I could
tell the bull's pats because they were clumps and balls of black
manure, and the girls were patties. If the pats weren't dried out and
not spanking fresh, I would find beautiful fat red worms just writhing
underneath all that poop. wonderful!! bonus worms to work my manure
pile! I'd dump the whole 6 cubic foot cart into the space beside the
working compost pile and then put two bags of scrounged leaves from
curbs on top and water the leaves in. The pile would heat up. I
added fresh if there were more pies to gather. I never turned it. It
worked better if I did this in fall and had fresh usable manure for
spring top dressing. We actually looked at a house yesterday and I
was thrilled to see cows across the lane and fresh pies in the narrow
pasture......alas, we are still looking. it WAS a perfect place.
THere will be others.

maddie (madgardener) gardening in the green bowl surrounded by the
Cherokee National Forest and Appalachian Mountains zone 7a, Sunset
zone 36 where those mountains are picturesque with snow on them right
now.........