Rotting manure - crap comments appreciated
 

picked up some cheap (dirt cheap in fact) horse poop this weekend to add to
a raised garden. The poop was in various stages of quite fresh to 1/2 rotted
and strewn with worms (I have used very well rotted poop before so this
stuff was a little out of the ordinary for me). The pasture grazed by the
horses is relatively weed free.

I turfed the poop into the raised gardens (about 400mm h, 1.2m w, 2.5m l)on
top of layers of partially decomposed compost. My plan is to cover it with
old carpet to help keep the weather off and the poop warm and leave it
insitu for a few months to rot down further. We are mid Autumn here heading
into a winter that has some frosts and a reasonably high rainfall.

Some of the poop I dug out (from a massive pile of horse poop) was still
steaming and smelt sour (lack of air I believe). I reckon transferring it to
the garden, involving 3 different movements, would have added enough air to
deal with the initial lack of air. In a month or 2 I may fork the poop and
compost together to mix and aerate some more.

Does anyone have any good suggestions/crap comments to my plan, and
specifically:

a. aerating the poop now will deal with the initial sourness
b. covering the poop in the garden with carpet will not solve every weather
problem but will help.
c. digging the poop and compost in a month or 2 will mix them up and add
some air.

thanks.
Rob

Rotting manure - crap comments appreciated
 

"George.com" wrote in message
...
picked up some cheap (dirt cheap in fact) horse poop this weekend to add
to
a raised garden. The poop was in various stages of quite fresh to 1/2
rotted
and strewn with worms (I have used very well rotted poop before so this
stuff was a little out of the ordinary for me). The pasture grazed by the
horses is relatively weed free.

I turfed the poop into the raised gardens (about 400mm h, 1.2m w, 2.5m
l)on
top of layers of partially decomposed compost. My plan is to cover it with
old carpet to help keep the weather off and the poop warm and leave it
insitu for a few months to rot down further. We are mid Autumn here
heading
into a winter that has some frosts and a reasonably high rainfall.

Some of the poop I dug out (from a massive pile of horse poop) was still
steaming and smelt sour (lack of air I believe). I reckon transferring it
to
the garden, involving 3 different movements, would have added enough air
to
deal with the initial lack of air. In a month or 2 I may fork the poop and
compost together to mix and aerate some more.

Does anyone have any good suggestions/crap comments to my plan, and
specifically:

a. aerating the poop now will deal with the initial sourness

Normally exposing the hot part of a pile brings an earthy type smell, not
sour. I find it quite pleasant, but many people don't, it's a matter of
personal taste.

Having turned over the pile you have introduced air and the pile will now go
cold because the heat is due to processing by anaerobic bacteria.

b. covering the poop in the garden with carpet will not solve every
weather
problem but will help.

Yes. but it will still stay cold.

c. digging the poop and compost in a month or 2 will mix them up and add
some air.

Dig it in now, let the worms get started on it. It'll be nice come spring.

Steve