Manure: Renewable and Renewing Resource
My town friends feel a little sorry for me at times, like when I have to leave (or can't attend) social events because I have horse chores to do at home.But then, come spring and summer, I make it onto their envy list, because of my jurassic garden. My secret for lush and explosive growth? That very substance that gets pitched and hauled from the barn twice a day: horse manure.
In its well-composted state, it's the equivalent of garden gold. I layer an inch or two of it on our landscaped areas early every spring, and am rewarded with happy, thriving plants.
Let the city gals have the stuff that comes in 2-cubic-foot bags with price tags. I've got an endless supply of super-charged plant food, deliverable by the tractor bucket load, and already paid for by twice-daily toil.See those happily supercharged plants? They're my version of getting my poop in a group!
posted by Juli Thorson @ 11:51 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
Your gardens are lovely... all I can say is WOW!!!
Not just because they look so good but also because my head is spinning at the thought that with all you already do, you have time to garden?!
*feeling guilty... I need to go weed my measely little flower beds*
lol
Gardening is my everyday fun--so it's not hard to make time to do it. (Painting the fences is another story, LOL.)
I have perfected the art of being on the phone, and pulling weeds at the same time!
And besides--what else would I do with all that manure?!
Yeah I'm with ya - I looked at that picture and thought "ok I am going to take care of my little flower beds now..." If Juli's can look like that with her workload and horses workload surely I can do better than the weed/flower mix I got going on in the corners of my lawn.
Have a happy weekend.
So what is your composting routine to make the manure into garden gold? I'd like to have beautiful gardens but I haven't really found the knack.
~Signed, Garden Dummy / Garden Wannabe
Not much of a secret to composting the manure, really. Mostly just turning, and time.
The fresh manure plus bedding goes in an area behind the barn with a slight slope to it. A couple of times a year, Ed uses the tractor to push and turn the highest and newest part of the pile down over onto an older, lower part. The whole pile gets watered by rain and snow throughout the year; moisture helps keep it warm and "cooking." In fact, even in winter, the interior of the pile is quite hot. (Our old horses like to lie on it for the warmth.) The whole area is probably 25 feet wide and 50 feet long.
When I want compost to put on the garden, Ed digs own into the oldest, lowest part of the pile with the tractor bucket. When ready to use, the material there resembles heavy, dense black dirt--anything that still looks like manure balls and/or shavings bits isn't ready to use yet.
The rate of decomposition depends in part on what you use for bedding. Manure mixed with straw composts very quickly--in about 6 months. Manure with wood products, like shavings, sawdust, or pelleted bedding, takes much longer--more like two years with the way we do it.
That stuff is black gold!
My dad uses much the same process you described. In fact, soon I get to hop on the tractor and move the most recent pile out of the corral and out beside the garage. Back and forth. Actually quite fun.
The amazing thing is that the three year old pile doens't even stink anymore.
Any tips on talking on the cell phone while drinking a glass of wine while working on the garden - tried that last night, wasn't working well. I have nice red garden gloves now....
Now, if we could only figure out how to turn that FABULOUS renewable resource into biodiesel for our trucks..............(Can you IMAGINE??) How cool would that be?!?!
Yes! I got a load of composted horse manure from the stables where my daughter takes lessons, and my garden has been booming going on the second year now! I'll get more this fall and incorporate it into the soil again, but I have been so impressed with the 'black gold' that comes from those majestic animals! And it's so economical!
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