Hi,

A local farmer has 40 tons of manure which has been rotting for three years.
Is this stuff worth putting on the garden? I have a heavy clay soil, and
planned on mixing this with some sharp sand. he also said he could offer me
fresh stuff, "as and when it comes in". Would I be better off waiting for
the fresh stuff?

Mark.

In article , Mark Allison
nomail@please.? writes
Hi,

A local farmer has 40 tons of manure which has been rotting for three years.
Is this stuff worth putting on the garden? I have a heavy clay soil, and
planned on mixing this with some sharp sand. he also said he could offer me
fresh stuff, "as and when it comes in". Would I be better off waiting for
the fresh stuff?

Grab some of that well rotted manure while you have the chance, add a
little sharp sand as you have already planned, also some roughage like
old straw, fine shreddings or what have you. Then work as much of the
mixture into the top of your clay soil as you can. If you can do that
before the turn of the year it will have most of the winter to work its
way in and you should have a tillable top surface by next spring.

You could do the same thing with fresh manure at this time of the year,
but if you can get some which has already mature, half of the job is
already done for you. At other times, fresh stable or farmyard manure is
best stacked and allowed to work down for several months at least.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

You'd be better waiting for the new manure,............ and letting me take
the old stuff of the farmers hands......

..Oh how I'd love to get my hands on 40 tons of well rotted manure

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

: Hi,
:
: A local farmer has 40 tons of manure which has been rotting for three
: years. Is this stuff worth putting on the garden? I have a heavy clay
: soil, and planned on mixing this with some sharp sand. he also said
: he could offer me fresh stuff, "as and when it comes in". Would I be
: better off waiting for the fresh stuff?
:
: Mark.

No, well rotted is the best ever!!!!!

: You'd be better waiting for the new manure,............ and letting
: me take the old stuff of the farmers hands......
:
: .Oh how I'd love to get my hands on 40 tons of well rotted manure

Good answer I like that!

: You'd be better waiting for the new manure,............ and letting
: me take the old stuff of the farmers hands......
:
: .Oh how I'd love to get my hands on 40 tons of well rotted manure

Good answer I like that!

"Mark Allison" nomail@please wrote in message
...
Hi,

A local farmer has 40 tons of manure which has been rotting for three
years.
Is this stuff worth putting on the garden? I have a heavy clay soil, and
planned on mixing this with some sharp sand. he also said he could offer
me
fresh stuff, "as and when it comes in". Would I be better off waiting for
the fresh stuff?

Get as much as you can handle before somebody else beats you to it.

Franz

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 16:53:38 -0000, "Mark Allison" nomail@please
wrote:

~Hi,
~
~A local farmer has 40 tons of manure which has been rotting for three years.
~Is this stuff worth putting on the garden? I have a heavy clay soil, and
~planned on mixing this with some sharp sand. he also said he could offer me
~fresh stuff, "as and when it comes in". Would I be better off waiting for
~the fresh stuff?
~
Great - go and grab it now. Where is this farmer? Perhaps I could help
you put a dent in the heap :-)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

"Mark Allison" nomail@please wrote in message
...
Hi,

A local farmer has 40 tons of manure which has been rotting for three
years.
Is this stuff worth putting on the garden? I have a heavy clay soil, and
planned on mixing this with some sharp sand. he also said he could offer
me
fresh stuff, "as and when it comes in". Would I be better off waiting for
the fresh stuff?

Get as much as you can handle before somebody else beats you to it.

Franz

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 16:53:38 -0000, "Mark Allison" nomail@please
wrote:

~Hi,
~
~A local farmer has 40 tons of manure which has been rotting for three years.
~Is this stuff worth putting on the garden? I have a heavy clay soil, and
~planned on mixing this with some sharp sand. he also said he could offer me
~fresh stuff, "as and when it comes in". Would I be better off waiting for
~the fresh stuff?
~
Great - go and grab it now. Where is this farmer? Perhaps I could help
you put a dent in the heap :-)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

I live in Bedfordshire, and I'm afraid myself and a couple of neighbours
will probably use it all! We live in new houses and the soil is in a poor
state, so we're going to need tons of the stuff. I'm going to do lots of
digging over the next few weeks...:-/

I've read Monty Don's excellent "The Complete Gardener" and he repeatedly
states that work spent on the soil is not wasted, so I'm going to put a lot
of effort in now, and hopefully come spring time, I should have some nice
soil to plant my spuds and other veg into.

I only plan on doing it the once and then just topping it up with some more
rotted manure in spring and autumn in following seasons. Does that sound
about right? I'm very new to this, you see.

I phoned round a few farmers around here and I got a couple of offers of
muck. It seems that farmers with horses are desperate to get rid of the
stuff and are more than happy for you to come and get it.

Mark.


"jane" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 16:53:38 -0000, "Mark Allison" nomail@please
wrote:

~Hi,
~
~A local farmer has 40 tons of manure which has been rotting for three
years.
~Is this stuff worth putting on the garden? I have a heavy clay soil, and
~planned on mixing this with some sharp sand. he also said he could offer
me
~fresh stuff, "as and when it comes in". Would I be better off waiting for
~the fresh stuff?
~
Great - go and grab it now. Where is this farmer? Perhaps I could help
you put a dent in the heap :-)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

"Mark Allison" nomail@please wrote in
:

I live in Bedfordshire, and I'm afraid myself and a couple of
neighbours will probably use it all! We live in new houses and the
soil is in a poor state, so we're going to need tons of the stuff. I'm
going to do lots of digging over the next few weeks...:-/


I only plan on doing it the once and then just topping it up with some
more rotted manure in spring and autumn in following seasons. Does
that sound about right? I'm very new to this, you see.

Yes, though bear in mind you will need to keep topping up. Manure is
brilliant stuff, but it doesn't last forever. You can also mulch with
compost, and that fresh manure you were offered is perfect for putting
in the middle of a compost heap to get it rotting down quickly.

You may not think you need to compost with all that manure available,
but you soon will! Plants put on so much growth so quickly,
particularly when well-fed - you don't want to have to take everything
you cut back all the way to the tip.

It might be a good idea to think about mulching now while you are laying
out your garden, so you create paths that you can easily trog manure
along to the bits that most need it.

My garden is steep with winding paths and steps. Getting significant
amounts of manure up to the veg garden at the top from the drive at the
bottom is a bit of a pain. I inherited a lot of stuff from the previous
owners, but if I were creating it now I think I'd grow fruit and veg
closer to the house!

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

Having just spent the best part of 4 weeks sifting old manure to make conifer compost (purists, please don't tell me off!) I can highly recommend the whole manure lifting and carrying experience to anyone wanting muscles, aches, pains and a nasty smell following them into the pub at tea time!

Oh, it's also pretty good for the plants, too!