[waltong]

A farm near us gives away free bags of horse manure.  It is fresh so I have been putting it on my com post heap to rot down and use in time.

However, is it possible to grow veg straight in the fresh horse muck?

I am thinking of things like courgette, squash, pumpkin, etc?

Maybe even in the bags that is comes in?

Please let me know...

[pedro]

Fresh manure will burn the plants.
Make a compost type bin and leave to rot for at least 6 months.
In the autumn you can put fresh manure on vacant soil and dig it in after a short while.

[waltong]

Thanks, I thought that would be the case, but I wanted to check if there was a nice lazy way fort hose greedy plants.

[compostqueen]

I grew stuff in freshish cow poo cos I had nothing else but purists would turn their noses up at the idea. It is best rotted down but any port in a storm that's me     I grew courgettes and squashes in the very bags that the manure was delivered in - green placcy sacks - which looked very nice with their collars turned down. They do need keeping moist though so don't neglect watering

I grew spuds in poo but they were more scabby than if I'd not, but then I was eating them not showing them. Strawbs did well in it, as did the courgettes, cucumbers and squashes.  It's not very good to handle though if it's fresh cos it's very often wet and heavy and lumpy but if you've nothing else    They look a bit stark at first but once the lovely foliage gets going it obscures the bags and most of the mulch  



I grew corn and beans too in pooh about three months old

[waltong]

Wow, now that's more like it.

Are those bags of cow muck or horse?

Did you mix anything in to stop it being too hot?

I like the idea of squash, courgette and aubergine in big bags of muck...

[Aunt Sally]

The "Old Gardeners" have been using manure heated hot beds for may years to extend the season.

[digital_biscuit]

I use my fresh manure around my plants so when i water the nutrients wash into the plants, gave me some awesome sweetcorn last year!

Good idea about extending the growing season though Aunty!!

[compostqueen]

that was just a small selection of my "container" plantings     I was suffering with my back when I decided on that course of action. The bags were delivered near that fence and I couldn't be bothered to empty them so had the brainwave just to plant in em as they stood. Poked a few holes in the base of each bag.  It's hoss muck with nothing added

You can use builders rubble sacks filled with muck as well to give you a quick raised bed.

[Trillium]

Aunt Sally, fresh manure is used at the bed bottom to only heat up the soil/compost sitting above it and to keep the temperature. The plants never actually go into the fresh manure. Heated propogators do a better job these days.

[noshed]

Everyone on our site grows their pumpkins in their manure heaps. In the autumn they just spread it on their plot.

[Aunt Sally]

Aunt Sally, fresh manure is used at the bed bottom to only heat up the soil/compost sitting above it and to keep the temperature. The plants never actually go into the fresh manure. Heated propogators do a better job these days.

That's right trillium.  The manure is often sunk into a pit to retain the heat with the soil layer above it.  It just provides the heat and is cheap to run.  Not may allotments have electricty.