[dankay123]

i am planning on putting manure on some of my beds this weekend. im a new comer to allotments so hear goes. if my manure has straw or wood shavings mixed with it does it steal all the nitrogen. i am planning on putting it direct onto the beds and leaving the worms to take it down for me. should i cover the beds once manured with plastic or weed supressant or leave it for the frost and weather to get at it?

[Trillium]

If the manure is fresh then the shavings or straw aren't much of a problem unless the ratio of bedding is much higher than manure. Then you'd be better off composting it first.

Leave the manure open to the elements so birds can pick out bug eggs and whatnot and the nutrients can wash into the soil with rain.

[noshed]

Sometimes the wood chips stay around for a while but you can just fork them in in the spring