Is my soil too HOT?

[oldasrocks]

I gained access to a large pile of old horse manure so I hauled home 12 dump trucks loads. Then I had the insane idea of covering the garden 12 inches deep with it so I could grow in something besides rocks and clay this year.

THEN I soil tests. Phosphorus 424, Sulfur 234, Calcium 5604, Magnesium 1253, Potassium 617 and last if not least Nitrogen 1360.

So any idea on how to mellow it down to grow-able values? I do not have access to any decent normal dirt here in Missouri unless I buy countless bags of so called topsoil. The garden is about 2,000 sq ft.

I NEED fresh tomatoes please help.

[Doug9345]

Did you check it for herbicides. To do that plant some bean seed in it and see that they germinate normally and aren't deformed. If it old as in composted I'd just plant in it. you have nothing to lose at this point.

[Redbaron]

you could try and find some free saw dust

[oldasrocks]

I know there is no herbicides in it. It came from a stable from a close friend. I could lose a years crop. If you want to see a grown man cry see me if my tomatoes died.BTW those numbers are lbs/ acre as done through an ag store not PPM. My PH was 8.4 but think I have that amended by using sulfur and aluminum sulfate.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by oldasrocks

I know there is no herbicides in it. It came from a stable from a close friend. I could lose a years crop. If you want to see a grown man cry see me if my tomatoes died.BTW those numbers are lbs/ acre as done through an ag store not PPM. My PH was 8.4 but think I have that amended by using sulfur and aluminum sulfate.

This is a long shot, but in principle it might help. You might try planting something as a cover crop, a grass that is a good scavenger, like winter cereal rye. Then mow it just before you transplant your tomatoes. Not sure if there is enough time before you are ready to transplant, but it should mellow the manure quite a lot and lock those excess nutrients. It will help with structure as well. Lowering the Ph will happen for sure, but not sure if it will be fast enough.

And there is this....when in doubt rely on earthworms. They are smarter than any gardener at turning manures into good soil. Millions of years of expertise. Might consider buying some worms to jump start the process. The worms will find it anyway..but couldn't hurt to help them along.

Keep in mind though, this is a toughy. Most people don't have the problem of a whole foot of manure! Usually it is the problem of not enough to go around. Many years ago I had the awesome windfall of 3-6 inches of aged manure.....and had the best garden of my life. But a foot? Just not sure. As I mentioned above sawdust has a really low nitrogen to carbon ratio. It should absorb some. And rye does like lots of nitrogen and should pull out the extra if it has time. Worms will help too. Straw mulch right on top might help. But beyond all that I have no experience.

[oldasrocks]

Thanks Redbaron. Unfortunately I only have a couple weeks left before planting. I can probably get some sawdust from a local mill which should help with the N. The phosphorous and potassium might pose an ever bigger problem from what I've been able to find to read. It is loaded with big healthy worms and smells like rich black dirt which lead me to believe it was safe. Its a good thing I only used part of the pile on the garden. I still have a hill about 20 ft X 40 ft X 6 ft tall and being added to weekly. As long as the one guy leaves his dump truck sit here to use the other guy wants me to haul off the manure so I'm getting a truckload a week of fresh stuff. Be careful of what you wish for.

The only good part of this is the wife won't go near the main garden because of the rich smell. I'm able to set it up the exact way I want to. Maybe I should get a manure spreader and --- well just an idea.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by oldasrocks

Thanks Redbaron. Unfortunately I only have a couple weeks left before planting. I can probably get some sawdust from a local mill which should help with the N. The phosphorous and potassium might pose an ever bigger problem from what I've been able to find to read. It is loaded with big healthy worms and smells like rich black dirt which lead me to believe it was safe. Its a good thing I only used part of the pile on the garden. I still have a hill about 20 ft X 40 ft X 6 ft tall and being added to weekly. As long as the one guy leaves his dump truck sit here to use the other guy wants me to haul off the manure so I'm getting a truckload a week of fresh stuff. Be careful of what you wish for.

The only good part of this is the wife won't go near the main garden because of the rich smell. I'm able to set it up the exact way I want to. Maybe I should get a manure spreader and --- well just an idea.

You might be able to buy some time by simply mixing with soil in each hole you transplant in. By the time the plants roots expand past it the manure will have had time to mellow a bit more.

[KarenO]

Oh dear, too much of what will be a good thing. You cannot plant in fresh manure. If it smells like manure it is fresh I'm afraid. I would turn it over and let it mellow and finish composting in place. It will be great once it is compost and not manure but I cannot see anything growing in it yet. See if normal weeds grow in it as one would expect in a spring garden.That will tell valuable information. If weeds don't grow, your garden plants won't either. Unfortunately horse manure usually contains a lot of weed seeds that pass Undigested from eating hay
Karen

[epsilon]

Don't forget squash are heavy feeders so you might consider a pumpkin patch this year.

[Doug9345]

The worms are a good sign. I think you may be able to unamend small areas as Red Baron suggested. It just like you would do with poor soil mixing in compost, but in reverse.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Doug9345

The worms are a good sign. I think you may be able to unamend small areas as Red Baron suggested. It just like you would do with poor soil mixing in compost, but in reverse.

I filled my raised beds with older horse manure one year, 12" deep. Had the best tomato plants that I've ever had. A few aphids from the high nitrogen but tons of tomatoes, too.

[oldasrocks]

Thanks Everyone, Maybe there is hope yet. It smells more like dirt than manure.

I will dream of a pumpkin crossing with the tomatoes producing 1,000 tomato that I can crawl inside and eat my way out!

[Stvrob]

I bet there is some kind of cover crop you could plant that would go crazy with the available nutrients, maybe a ryegrass, Im not sure. But if its growing thick at the same time your other plants are growing, it might be possible that it would draw out enough of the excess nutrients by the time your garden plants are flowering. My guess is you will be OK, and next year you will absolutely thrilled.
Also, you might could amend the planting holes with lots of carbon, Piles of shredded leaves or pine needles perhaps.

[oldasrocks]

I have put in 30 tomatoes with corn planted on one side and spinach on the other. Time will tell. Some weeds are coming up around everywhere, esp pigweeds.

[clkeiper]

Horses don't digest seeds. They expel them whole and viable, unfortunately if the manure wasn't hot composted they will grow and grow and grow . You may want to plan putting down cardboard or ground cover or plan on pulling lots and lots of weeds.