[TheSpartacat]

Here's some interesting advice from Cornell university:
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/orgmatter/index.html

They mention the usual concerns about weed seeds, plant burn, nitrogen... but then state to be on the safe side to avoid any pathogens:
"To be safe, either compost your manure or apply it in the fall after harvest. Wash your hands after handling manure and try to leave at least 120 days between application of fresh manure and harvest of a crop."

Everyone, and i mean everyone, including the guys who've been plotting for years, on my site has fresh manure spread on their beds right now... the straw and "horse buns" type. I posted a query on this a few months ago, and this week seeing even more beds with even fresher manure.... Of course it flies in the face of what i thought... but I can't deny there's also been some pretty impressive spud crops from these people last year. So... i can replete nitrogen with some nettle tea?

[Zippy]

I put 80 sq ft of ground under 10 cubic feet of compost, made of weed and veg choppings, seaweed, lawn mowings and rabbit hutch bedding and toilet sawdust and of course Starbucks coffee grounds.

It makes a depth of about 8 inches which I plant my potatoes straight into.

Then when the leaves start to show through I just keep topping up with lawn mowings and hutch cleanings to keep the light off the growing tubers. The harvest is clean and largely soil free and all without poo apart from bunny currants!

The following year is squashes and sweetcorn so I don't bother digging anything under - just plant straight into the settled compost.

Hope this helps.