Me again.......

Since I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll with this newsgroup at
present, here's another one for you. A neighbour has offered me some
horse manure. Quite a lot of it, as it happens. As we're building some
new raised vegetable beds, would it be OK to dump about a 4 - 6" deep
layer in the bottom, which would then be covered by a mixture of
topsoil and compost (about a further 10")

The beds are going to be 20" high on the outside, and whilst some of
the volume will be filled with the earth we removed to get the
surrounding area level, I'm going to need rather a lot of soil/compost
whatever to fill them. I'd be intending to cover these beds with a
further 3" manure each autumn, allowing the worms to do their stuff
over the winter (unless, of couse, we decide to overwinter veg in one
of the beds). If I need to rot down the manure first, how long should
I store it before using. I should probably mention that it doesn't
have a high straw content, unlike some of the 'stable sweepings' that
get passed off as horse manure these days.

Cheers

Tim

"Tim Nicholson" wrote in message
...
Me again.......

Since I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll with this newsgroup at
present, here's another one for you. A neighbour has offered me some
horse manure. Quite a lot of it, as it happens. As we're building some
new raised vegetable beds, would it be OK to dump about a 4 - 6" deep
layer in the bottom, which would then be covered by a mixture of
topsoil and compost (about a further 10")

The beds are going to be 20" high on the outside, and whilst some of
the volume will be filled with the earth we removed to get the
surrounding area level, I'm going to need rather a lot of soil/compost
whatever to fill them. I'd be intending to cover these beds with a
further 3" manure each autumn, allowing the worms to do their stuff
over the winter (unless, of couse, we decide to overwinter veg in one
of the beds). If I need to rot down the manure first, how long should
I store it before using. I should probably mention that it doesn't
have a high straw content, unlike some of the 'stable sweepings' that
get passed off as horse manure these days.

Cheers

Tim

Providing theres enough soil on top of the manure it should be fine
.......you should get some good veg crops especially runner beans
..............do add some to a compost bin or 2 though as its invaluable

"Tim Nicholson" wrote in message
...
: Me again.......
:
: Since I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll with this newsgroup at
: present, here's another one for you. A neighbour has offered me some
: horse manure. Quite a lot of it, as it happens. As we're building some
: new raised vegetable beds, would it be OK to dump about a 4 - 6" deep
: layer in the bottom, which would then be covered by a mixture of
: topsoil and compost (about a further 10")
:
: The beds are going to be 20" high on the outside, and whilst some of
: the volume will be filled with the earth we removed to get the
: surrounding area level, I'm going to need rather a lot of soil/compost
: whatever to fill them. I'd be intending to cover these beds with a
: further 3" manure each autumn, allowing the worms to do their stuff
: over the winter (unless, of couse, we decide to overwinter veg in one
: of the beds). If I need to rot down the manure first, how long should
: I store it before using. I should probably mention that it doesn't
: have a high straw content, unlike some of the 'stable sweepings' that
: get passed off as horse manure these days.
:
: Cheers
:
: Tim
Great yes pile it on, the thicker the better. In a few years time you can
miss a dose of manure and lime it instead and watch the crops amaze you then
:

The message
from "Robert" contains these words:



"Tim Nicholson" wrote in message
...
: Me again.......
:
: Since I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll with this newsgroup at
: present, here's another one for you. A neighbour has offered me some
: horse manure. Quite a lot of it, as it happens. As we're building some
: new raised vegetable beds, would it be OK to dump about a 4 - 6" deep
: layer in the bottom, which would then be covered by a mixture of
: topsoil and compost (about a further 10")

Great yes pile it on, the thicker the better. In a few years time you can
miss a dose of manure and lime it instead and watch the crops amaze you then
:

I wouldn't use manure in any beds where you plan to grow carrots or
parsnips this year.

Janet

A note of caution......I had a free and plentiful supply of horse manure
which I liberally used in my veg garden. Couple of months later I had an
amazing crop of chickweed and nettles. Perhaps I should have allowed it to
rot down or buried it in trenches!

David


"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...
The message
from "Robert" contains these words:



"Tim Nicholson" wrote in message
...
: Me again.......
:
: Since I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll with this newsgroup at
: present, here's another one for you. A neighbour has offered me some
: horse manure. Quite a lot of it, as it happens. As we're building some
: new raised vegetable beds, would it be OK to dump about a 4 - 6" deep
: layer in the bottom, which would then be covered by a mixture of
: topsoil and compost (about a further 10")

Great yes pile it on, the thicker the better. In a few years time you
can
miss a dose of manure and lime it instead and watch the crops amaze you
then
:

I wouldn't use manure in any beds where you plan to grow carrots or
parsnips this year.

Janet

On Wed, 5 May 2004 23:01:18 +0100, Janet Baraclough..
wrote:


I wouldn't use manure in any beds where you plan to grow carrots or
parsnips this year.


Is that just for reasons of 'taste' - or something more fundamental
altogether? Most of the manure I'll be putting at the bottom of the
beds has been rotted down for a good four or five months already, will
that make a difference?

Tim

On Thu, 06 May 2004 22:37:09 +0100, Tim Nicholson
wrote:

On Wed, 5 May 2004 23:01:18 +0100, Janet Baraclough..
wrote:


I wouldn't use manure in any beds where you plan to grow carrots or
parsnips this year.


Is that just for reasons of 'taste' - or something more fundamental
altogether? Most of the manure I'll be putting at the bottom of the
beds has been rotted down for a good four or five months already, will
that make a difference?

It's said that a highly manured soil will cause carrots to fork ( the
root splits into several 'legs', resulting in amusingly shaped veg -
now not so popular with the demise of That's Life and its penchant for
'rude veg' ) - however, I've sown carrots on a deep bed filled with a
50/50 mix of sieved manure and soil and had a crop that practically
rocketed down ( and pulled up as easy as anything! ).

It's probably wise not to use fresh manure - but then you wouldn't
anyway, it would always lead to scorching of the plants.

I rather suspect that the presence of stones in the soil has a more
profound effect, probably more so if your soil is a heavy one ( as
mine is ) The carrot beds I knocked up in haste in previous years
always threw up weirdly shaped veg ( still tasty, and fun too! ).

I reckon your manure will be fine.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

The message
from Tim Nicholson contains these words:

On Wed, 5 May 2004 23:01:18 +0100, Janet Baraclough..
wrote:


I wouldn't use manure in any beds where you plan to grow carrots or
parsnips this year.


Is that just for reasons of 'taste'

No, I happily use it for potatoes, beans etc which like rich feeding.

- or something more fundamental
altogether? Most of the manure I'll be putting at the bottom of the
beds has been rotted down for a good four or five months already, will
that make a difference?

Not really.

If you plant carrots and parsnips in recently manured ground, they
will fork and split.

Janet.

On Thu, 6 May 2004 23:24:35 +0100, Janet Baraclough..
wrote:

If you plant carrots and parsnips in recently manured ground, they
will fork and split.

Janet.

Thanks for the advice - we'll put *less* manure in the bottom of the
bed for the carrots/ parsnips then. I'll still need to put some down,
or I'm going to have a very large heap of the stuff sitting around
'til the autumn! (Not that I'm complaining mind - it's just that I'm
running out of space)

Tim