compost or horse manure?

[mater-head]

Our local land fill is offering compost for ten dollars per ton. Now originally, I was pretty excited about that, and had planned on making a few trips out there so I could put some of that good stuff on my vegetable garden.

Now, my question is, since I dont really know where this compost came from, could it be full of chemicals from lawns? Or would the chemicals dissipate away as the material was composted.

My other option is that I have access to a lot of horse manure. I'm thinking I may skip the compost and go with a little horse poo instead. What ya all think I should do?

[dice]

Without tests for toxic substances, it would be impossible to
say what might be in land fill compost that you would not want
in your garden. (They probably make it out of collected yard
waste, plus maybe manures from commercial livestock farms
of one kind or another; out here there would be a lot of
composted commercial wood waste in it, too, bark and
sawdust, but there is probably not a lot of that produced
in Iowa.)

Horse manure is usually safe. You might ask whoever provides
it whether they lime their stalls (some race tracks do that to
keep odors down). If they do, that makes it an alkaline soil
amendment that can raise pH in the garden.

Unwanted possible toxic components aside, both are excellent
soil amendments, with the horse manure usually having more
nitrogen and phosphorus and the compost more potassium.

[brokenbar]

For me, it's the aged horse manure which is usually mixed with stall shavings. It's all I have used for 20 years or more. We had giant piles that the husband would flatten out with the tractor 3 or 4 times during the year and then pile it all back up. I have NEVER had to fertilize my garden or add any commercial products. The garden here feeds 4 people all year and we get more than enough to eat fresh or can or preserve in some way. I also have earthworms out the kazoo...

[mater-head]

ok, sounds like I should probably pass on the compost. Thanks for the help :-)

[rxkeith]

i will be getting horse manure from a neighbor down the road with 6 or 7 horses. i have a truck, and he has a front end loader. he said i can have all i want. i've also used composted yard waste, mainly leaves, and grass from the town pile when i was in the U.P. i would go with the manure for the biggest bang. the compost would be a good soil amendment. not sure about life of chemicals in the compost. i would ask the folks at the compost place, if they know anything.

keith

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by rxkeith

i will be getting horse manure from a neighbor down the road with 6 or 7 horses. i have a truck, and he has a front end loader. he said i can have all i want. i've also used composted yard waste, mainly leaves, and grass from the town pile when i was in the U.P. i would go with the manure for the biggest bang. the compost would be a good soil amendment. not sure about life of chemicals in the compost. i would ask the folks at the compost place, if they know anything.

keith

Anyone who lives anywhere near a stable where horses are kept in stalls at night (or sometimes, all the time) should pay them a visit. Most will be thrilled to give you all you want. Horse manure from daily stall cleaning piles up faster than you can believe. For those stables in or near housing or commercial areas, the cities are usually on their behind to keep it gone. I have a friend in California who finds it cost effective to rent a small dumptruck each year and bring home several loads (saves some back-breaking labor unloading a truck or trailer.) If you have the space, I would recommend having two piles or more with one that is ready to use and the others "aging". If it is composted well, minimum weed seeds (horses are the only animal that eats the amount of forage that they do who is not a ruminant. Something happened in evolution as they were previously ruminants.) Because the food does not get regurgitated as it would by a cow and re-chewed, some whole grains, like oats, can pass through a horses intestinal tract unscathed (horse people know this and have most grains crimped to allow the animal to absorb the available nutrients.) There is far less risk of "burning" roots and plant using horse manure as opposed to cow, poultry, etc.

[organichris]

In my city they give the compost away for free, but it's all from sewage waste. I thought about getting some, but it almost certainly has chemicals from waste water treatment, plus pharmaceuticals, etc. in it. And I'm not going to feed my plants with that stuff, even though the chemicals are probably only present in trace amounts.

[Wi-sunflower]

If you are short of greenhouse space, fresh horse manure works great in a pit cold frame. We used this method for years when i couldn't build a greenhouse.

Dig a pit about 2 feet deep. Add back about a foot of fresh horse manure. Stomp it down. Add a thin layer of sand on top to cover the manure. Place flats of plants directly on the sand. Have plastic for over the top with at least a foot or 2 of air over the plants.

The fresh manure will give off enough heat to keep the plants warm on frosty nights, enough for maybe about 10* protection. If the temp is supposed to go down below the upper 20s I would also cover with a tarp or 2.

The other thing about the fresh manure is that it gives off quite a bit of gassous Nitrogen. Some mornings it would look like "fog" inside the cold frame. Makes for some very green possibly over lush plants. Adjust your fertilizer accordingly.

Carol

[mater-head]

Praxxus55712 I love your youtube videos! You're totally cracking me up with your humor and I have to thank you for all good info in your videos. Keep up the good work!