Putting a plot under fruit

I use a lot of manure in my fruit cage because as we keep horses that is what I have!  The soil is wonderfully soft and crumbly and weeds pull up easily.  I guess compost would do as well, but it would be difficult to make enough. 

Suggestion:  Why don't you sow a bed of clover  for cutting and making compost and one of strawberries.  After a few years when the strawberries start to weaken swop them over.

I like the clover and strawberry swap-over beds suggestion gillie. I think I would use a Red Clover as it is an annual and would be easier to clear on the swap over year; White Clover would be a nightmare!

As for compost being difficult to get enough - not a problem for me as I have made connections with a lot of folks around here with field mowings they have more than they will ever want and I have a shredder to chip up tree prunings and tough perennials. The grass and shreddings make a great compost along with our own veg waste and coffee grounds from a local surfers cafe.

The way I see it is if it takes THIS MUCH plant material to feed an animal THIS SIZE to get THIS MUCH poo, then it makes sense to garden without manure and compost it all!

That's true until you drop a ton of manure on you plot that is laced with ammo - but that's been covered elsewhere I'm sure.

Each to their own and of herbivorous animals used by man, horses are the least likely to be exploited compared to the meat and animal products industry if well monitored so my preference would be to know the persons looking after the animals and the source of their feed and bedding and to stick with what I know.

I would personally never use manures sourced form the meat industry due to animal exploitation, but that is my personal choice and I am not soapboxing here.

If everyone were to go over to producing their own vegetables there would not be sufficient animal manures to go round so acre for acre it would make more sense to grow green manures and compost them direct or incorporate them onto the ground as mulches for worms to work over.

But hey - this is another topic.