[polly nator]

I wouldnt worry about the smell. Its very innocuous and in fact smells sweet when rotted down. Another factor might be what time you have to spare now and in the spring. You are lucky to have found a source of the stuff.

[Armleywhite]

I have a large amount of manure that has been "rotting" down since last nov.  However, I'm not sure it's enough for the whole of my plot.  My question is, is the bagged stuff from garden centres any good?

I may have to use a couple of bags to help stretch out what I already have.

[mumofstig]

It's a poor second best compared to the real stuff 

I bought a few bags this year and it didn't hold on to moisture at all - too much council compost mixed with it I think 

[Armleywhite]

Cheers Mum.  Another question then.  There are a few stables near to where I live and they advertise manure for free.  Would this stuff be safe?  I had heard that a lot of stables fed horses with a hormone that stops upset stomachs of the horses.  This stuff, in turn stops growth on plots??

Is that right?

[Yorkie]

Cheers Mum.  Another question then.  There are a few stables near to where I live and they advertise manure for free.  Would this stuff be safe?  I had heard that a lot of stables fed horses with a hormone that stops upset stomachs of the horses.  This stuff, in turn stops growth on plots??

Is that right?

You heard wrongly in the detail.

Some grass had a herbicide called aminopyralid (or clopyralid) sprayed on it.  It made its way wrongly into manure used on allotments.  It affects the growth habit of some plants such as beans, potatoes, tomatoes.  Other plants are unaffected.

It was taken off the market for a while, and is now back on the market with additional warnings about the onward use of such grass after harvest or of the manure from animals grazing on it.

Ask the stables where their horses have grazed on treated grass / whether any bedding which makes its way into the manure was treated.

Nothing to do with treatment of horses' stomachs.

[Armleywhite]

Cheers Mum.  Another question then.  There are a few stables near to where I live and they advertise manure for free.  Would this stuff be safe?  I had heard that a lot of stables fed horses with a hormone that stops upset stomachs of the horses.  This stuff, in turn stops growth on plots??

Is that right?

You heard wrongly in the detail.

Some grass had a herbicide called aminopyralid (or clopyralid) sprayed on it.  It made its way wrongly into manure used on allotments.  It affects the growth habit of some plants such as beans, potatoes, tomatoes.  Other plants are unaffected.

It was taken off the market for a while, and is now back on the market with additional warnings about the onward use of such grass after harvest or of the manure from animals grazing on it.

Ask the stables where their horses have grazed on treated grass / whether any bedding which makes its way into the manure was treated.

Nothing to do with treatment of horses' stomachs.

Hence my question.  That was the explanation I had been given by a chap on lotty where I have a plot.  Thanks for the update.

[Steveharford]

I have a field right next to my patch and a pony has been using it since about springtime. Already they have gathered up quite a bit of poo with a good size heap forming as they add the straw from mucking out as well. I'm thinking of asking her to start another pile so that it can carry on rotting without any fresh being added.
Meanwhile would it be worth taking some and piling it on top of my runner bean trench when they have finished? My thinking is all the nutrients will wash down through to the bottom of the trench. Hopefully they will have had time to neutralise and not burn the roots of next years beans?

[Goosegirl]

Aw goodtogrow - another compliment. I like you!  As for the no-dig method and not knowing your soil type, you need to make sure that you have adequate drainage first. With my veg area, the soil had a thin layer of topsoil with a hard compacted layer of alluvial silt beneath. I dug a trench and put the topsoil in a barrow, then forked over the trench bottom and added manure and horticultural grit which gives instant benefits. I filled the trench with the topsoil from the ground behind me that I was standing on and which would be my next trench. When I forked over the last trench, I back-filled it with the topsoil from the barrow. Also, don't know if your soil is acid or alkaline, so a look at the local plants and weeds with help from Goggle will help you decide. I say this because the addition of alkaline stuff such as lime, mushroom compost or seaweed meal will help bind clay-type soil particles but I wouldn't add it if your soil is well-alkaline. No-dig means no standing on soil or you will compact it, unless you want soil path areas. No-dig is good for me as now I have arthritis, so have to find ways around things to still get the joy without the pain. As said earlier, not all veg like manure, such as parsnips, carrots, etc, but you can still layer it on top of an un-dug area, then scrape the manure away to sow them.