On Mon, 05 Sep 2011 12:54:57 GMT, Baz wrote:

We have just had a load of rotted horse manure dropped off. A ton? I don't
know. But it is about 6'* 6' *2' on the ground.

The last time I had this, last year, I chucked it all over and could not
see any significant areas of production.

My question is where to chuck it.

I have my own compost for tomatoes, and have always had a good lot apart
from this year.(neglected them too much) so it won't go there.

I grow mainly:
Carrots
Swede
Brassicas
Potatoes
Parsnips
Beans (broad, runner, french)
Peas

The thing is that it looks like a huge pile, but when it comes to it all on
the soil it hardly covers any of the plots from past experience. And of
course it is all down to money, can I afford to buy another load? In fact
it is free, but transport is expensive and the stable has done this first
load for free, I would be a git if I refused the second, payable load, so I
have paid for it, and when it comes I hope there is room on the drive. I
want to spread or chuck this first load before the second one appears.

Any suggestions will be welcome. and yes it is free from weedkiller.

Baz

You lucky chap. Round here the stables use so much sawdust and cruder
wood stuff that any manure from them needs to be composted for six
months or more before it's usable (and that's after it's spent six
months in their own rotting pile). And what they say is "rotted"
usually isn't - you know, that lovely earthy smell and almost black
colour are both strangely absent and the delivery really stinks like
s***! After a delivery, anyone within a mile of the local allotments
hopes the wind's blowing the other way . I had to stop getting
delivery at home because the neighbours couldn't stand it.

Though playing safe by keeping it away from anything now in the ground
(unless you're certain how well it's rotted) I'd go in the order of
where you plan to plant:

First: Potatoes
Second: Brassicas
Third: Beans
Fourth: Peas

Can't remember why, but I've always kept manure away from carrots and
parsnips after loads of educating from the allotment sages in my
youth.

Cheers
Jake
==============================================
Gardening at the dry end (east) of Swansea Bay
in between reading anything by JRR Tolkien.

www.rivendell.org.uk