[3759allen]

hi all.

i've now got a contact for a lot of old rabbit bedding / manure. obviously this is fresh from the cage, mainly straw with small amounts of hay and droppings in it.

firstly is this any good to had to the compost heap and / or rotting manure (this is mostly poo rather than bedding)?

i've spread some on the border that i'm hoping to grow mushrooms on to rot down, as recommended the mushrooms can grow on rotted straw. i've put some in a large barrel to rot down, but now not got too many places to put the stuff.

so the main question is can i put the rabbit manure / bedding into trenches and back fill? will this rot down in time to start planting in the spring?

any ideas on how else to use it?

thanks all.

[gavinjconway]

It is full of nitrogen and is a cold manure so will not burn plants when you put it on directly. I keep what I collect (from a few of my customers who collect it for me)  in a wheelie bin and then use it on my sweetcorn and to give a nitrogen boost when required to other stuff.. The shavings and grass I tend to screen off if possible.

[Kirpi]

I take about 4 dustbin loads of rabbit and guinea pig bedding, urine soaked newspaper, straw and manure from a local lady who kennels these pets.

I compost and also layer it direct onto my no-dig beds and both methods are fine.

[SusieB]

Doesn't the stuff you grow mushrooms on have to be sterilised?  Be careful.

[mumofstig]

The strawy stuff you can use on top as a mulch, use any wet manure/paper in  bean trenches.

[3759allen]

i have a large area where potatoes have come from, this will be planted with brassicas in the spring. can i dig the straw in to here now for it to decompose for when i plant the first brassicas. this area has suffered from wireworm with i'm trying to get rid of will the addition of straw be ok? peolple here have said that i need to get rid of as much grass and weeds as well as digging the ground.

could i dig the straw into the soil as well as use as a mulch?

any one in the Norwich area want the contact of the person i'm getting it from? i'm trying to take as much as possible to keep it a regular thing but there's just too much for me on my own.

[3759allen]

Doesn't the stuff you grow mushrooms on have to be sterilised?  Be careful.

doesn't say in the description of how and what to grow them on about being sterile. not saying your wrong, it'll be my first try at shrooms so i'll tell you next year. i'm thinking that in the wild the substance they grow on isn't sterile so hoping it won't matter

the straw and manure they're gonna be growing on hasn't cost me anything, just a little hard work so nothing to loose. as long as i get enough mushrooms to cover the price of the kit it's a free experiment.

[Yorkie]

i have a large area where potatoes have come from, this will be planted with brassicas in the spring. can i dig the straw in to here now for it to decompose for when i plant the first brassicas. this area has suffered from wireworm with i'm trying to get rid of will the addition of straw be ok? peolple here have said that i need to get rid of as much grass and weeds as well as digging the ground.

could i dig the straw into the soil as well as use as a mulch?

any one in the Norwich area want the contact of the person i'm getting it from? i'm trying to take as much as possible to keep it a regular thing but there's just too much for me on my own.

I would not advise this because brassicas need very firm soil.  By digging the soil now you are risking the soil not being firm enough at planting; you also risk the soil subsiding as the straw eventually decomposes.

[3759allen]

good point didn't think about that, i'll leave it off that bed.

thinking i'll have to tidy a messy part of the garden and make another compost / manure heap. another job to add to the list.