Horse poop..Yay or Nay?!?...get it?? lol

gssgarden · April 3, 2015

Rim shot!! I crack myself up!!

Ok, I have raised beds, 12 x 4. They need to get some filler in it to raise the level. The 'garden soil' the local nursery has is crap, full of clay ect.

I was thinking of putting two wheel barrels full on top, which would give it about 3 inches layer, and till it in.

Was hoping to plant soon as temps are warming up.

Good idea?? Yay or Nay?? The manure looks pretty broken down as well. It's fairly dry and crumbly. No, or hardly any odor. Not worried about the weeds popping up as I'm diligent in that.

NOW, should I hold off on the fertilizer as well? Usually I put down a low nitrogen fert with the occasional fish emulsion.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Greg

gssgarden · April 3, 2015

My beds are 12" high. I can get pretty deep with the tiller or shovel so it wouldn't be a surface till.

Greg

Redbaron · April 3, 2015

I pretty much think you can't go wrong with aged horse manure...unless the horses were fed herbicide laced hay....

gssgarden · April 3, 2015

It's definitely not fresh. They have a loooong row of it at a local stable. They take the older stuff for the people who want it. Like I said, it's pretty much odor free.

Any idea about the fertilizer?

Greg

AlittleSalt · April 3, 2015

I would use the fish emulsion too.

Redbaron · April 3, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by gssgarden

Any idea about the fertilizer?

Greg

You need a soil test to know what to do there. Without a soil test .... compost and aged manures and mulches, almost always you are safe, and usually enough. But you won't know without a soil test if any specific thing needs addressed with added fertilizers.

NarnianGarden · April 3, 2015

Sounds excellent. Horsepower makes tomatoes taste even better - provided it's well composted and from healthy animals!
My favorite fertilizer.. Hope to get my hands into some this season too

**Lee** · April 3, 2015

I say go for the horse manure amendment. As for the fertilizer, without a soil test, you could always wait and let the plants tell you what is needed. Then add later... easier to add if needed than remove if not!

Oh, and that line was Baaaaaad.

Cole_Robbie · April 3, 2015

If it were me, I would plant a bean in a cup of it and see how it grows before spreading it on a garden. If the bean plants grows with normal leaves; it's fine. If the leaves are gnarled and odd-looking, then that is herbicide contamination.

http://www.manurematters.com/

NarnianGarden · April 3, 2015

The results last year were that the plants in containers that had a bit too generous amounts of manure, were later in blooming and fruit-producing.
They all eventually came around and produced huge amounts - too bad the season could not go on forever, but we picked as many unripe ones as possible and let them mature inside.
So, go light at first, but even if you overdo it by accident, is not going to kill them off - the excess nitrogen will eventually be used up and the plants will get into the reproduction stage.

Gardeneer · April 3, 2015

Even if the manure is fully composted I would till it in and mix with the top inches of the existing soil.

Horse manure is not going to make a big difference in pH. In part it depend what they have mixed with it in the stable.

kath · April 3, 2015

I would check to make sure none of the horses have been on meds but other than that I say, "Yay- you've found a goldmine!" I've added lots of manure to my gardens every year since the 70's and thinks it's fantastic for soil conditioning, making a great home for worms and adding organic matter. Not so high in fertilizer that I worry about adding lots of it at a time if I need to and have enough. I made an 8" layer in the bottom of a double-high cinder block bed and then added the limited amount of soil and compost I had on top of that. No problems with growing tomatoes and peppers in it that year - got plenty of fruits. I'd still use fish emulsion or fish/kelp, if I were you, now and then if the plants look like they could use it.

kath

gssgarden · April 3, 2015

Thank you guys!....you guys...are good!!

Greg

Mark0820 · April 4, 2015

Another "Yay". I add aged horse manure to my garden every year also. I never use fertilizer, and everything grows just fine. I also mulch my garden with wood chips.

JJJessee · April 4, 2015

Yay, with a caution. I used it to fill a bed once but the material was not as broken down as I had thought even though it was black. Sawdust had been used as bedding and more poop is required to break that down than hay or straw I think. So, my plants were nitrogen deficient and somewhat stunted.

April 3, 2015	#1
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,826	Horse poop..Yay or Nay?!?...get it?? lol Rim shot!! I crack myself up!! Ok, I have raised beds, 12 x 4. They need to get some filler in it to raise the level. The 'garden soil' the local nursery has is crap, full of clay ect. I was thinking of putting two wheel barrels full on top, which would give it about 3 inches layer, and till it in. Was hoping to plant soon as temps are warming up. Good idea?? Yay or Nay?? The manure looks pretty broken down as well. It's fairly dry and crumbly. No, or hardly any odor. Not worried about the weeds popping up as I'm diligent in that. NOW, should I hold off on the fertilizer as well? Usually I put down a low nitrogen fert with the occasional fish emulsion. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance. Greg Last edited by gssgarden; April 3, 2015 at 12:20 PM.

April 3, 2015	#3
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	I pretty much think you can't go wrong with aged horse manure...unless the horses were fed herbicide laced hay.... __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

April 3, 2015	#8
Lee Tomatopalooza™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NC-Zone 7 Posts: 2,188	I say go for the horse manure amendment. As for the fertilizer, without a soil test, you could always wait and let the plants tell you what is needed. Then add later... easier to add if needed than remove if not! Oh, and that line was Baaaaaad. __________________ Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread.

April 3, 2015	#5
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I would use the fish emulsion too.

April 3, 2015	#7
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	Sounds excellent. Horsepower makes tomatoes taste even better - provided it's well composted and from healthy animals! My favorite fertilizer.. Hope to get my hands into some this season too

April 3, 2015	#9
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	If it were me, I would plant a bean in a cup of it and see how it grows before spreading it on a garden. If the bean plants grows with normal leaves; it's fine. If the leaves are gnarled and odd-looking, then that is herbicide contamination. http://www.manurematters.com/

April 3, 2015	#11
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,916	Even if the manure is fully composted I would till it in and mix with the top inches of the existing soil. Horse manure is not going to make a big difference in pH. In part it depend what they have mixed with it in the stable.

April 3, 2015	#12
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	I would check to make sure none of the horses have been on meds but other than that I say, "Yay- you've found a goldmine!" I've added lots of manure to my gardens every year since the 70's and thinks it's fantastic for soil conditioning, making a great home for worms and adding organic matter. Not so high in fertilizer that I worry about adding lots of it at a time if I need to and have enough. I made an 8" layer in the bottom of a double-high cinder block bed and then added the limited amount of soil and compost I had on top of that. No problems with growing tomatoes and peppers in it that year - got plenty of fruits. I'd still use fish emulsion or fish/kelp, if I were you, now and then if the plants look like they could use it. kath

April 4, 2015	#14
Mark0820 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 907	Another "Yay". I add aged horse manure to my garden every year also. I never use fertilizer, and everything grows just fine. I also mulch my garden with wood chips.

April 4, 2015	#15
JJJessee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Abingdon, Va Posts: 184	Yay, with a caution. I used it to fill a bed once but the material was not as broken down as I had thought even though it was black. Sawdust had been used as bedding and more poop is required to break that down than hay or straw I think. So, my plants were nitrogen deficient and somewhat stunted.