Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: RookieJim on February 18, 2014, 08:09
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I'm looking to get some rotted manure on the empty beds and as I don't have access to horse manure I usually buy the bags of 'Farmyard Manure' from homebase.
The price is a bit prohibitive as I need a quite a few bags but I notice thy have the chicken manure pellets at a cheaper price.
Will these be just as good to add some nutrients to my soil?
Jim
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Yes, but chicken manure pellets are purely for soil fertility whereas farmyard manure is good for improving the structure of the soil (particularly if you have a very light or very heavy soil).
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I agree :) They do 2 different jobs, so it depends what you want to achieve. The manure does add some nutrients, but its main job is to add bulk and organic matter to the soil so the texture improves. Homemade compost does a similar job and is free.
The pellets are a fertiliser and a lot more concentrated than using manure. I use them a lot for veg growing, but they will do nothing to improve soil structure. I use compost, rather than manure, for this job :)
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Have you tried to find local stables for manure? There must be some in your area..
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Thanks for the replies. It looks like I need both as I'm on heavy clay.
Gavin, there is a dairy farm near me but the farmer wants £65 a ton >:(
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Have a look at Preloved. There is someone in Pinner advertising horse manure free if you collect it. There must be some riding stables in the area. Most are only too happy for people to take the stuff away. We have one near us that's free and a charity / sanctuary place that just asks for a donation. Just check that they haven't used products containing aminopyralid on their pasture first.
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put an add on gumtree or freecycle.
plenty of people pay muck away services to remove the waste, so most are only too happy to have someone collect for free.
unless your luck it will be fresh though so will need rotting down, and the space to do it. this will obviously not help this year either.
also worth asking for rabbit and chicken muck / waste, doesn't cost anything to ask and you might be surprised what responses you get.
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Thanks for the replies. It looks like I need both as I'm on heavy clay.
Gavin, there is a dairy farm near me but the farmer wants £65 a ton >:(
Extortion!!!! I bet he only sells at that price to premier league footballers!!
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Thanks for the replies. It looks like I need both as I'm on heavy clay.
Gavin, there is a dairy farm near me but the farmer wants £65 a ton >:(
Wow £65 per ton,i paid £20 for 9 ton delivered before Christmas shame you dont live closer .
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The problem with going to stables is that whilst you can in theory collect it for free, there is the issue of then transporting it back to the allotment, bearing in mind how much you actually need to cover, say, three quarters of a standard size plot to a depth of six inches.
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My choice would be / is......
DIY compost (it's free) + BOGOF Chicken pellets = job done
Problem might be waiting for your compost heap to spring into action.
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The problem with going to stables is that whilst you can in theory collect it for free, there is the issue of then transporting it back to the allotment, bearing in mind how much you actually need to cover, say, three quarters of a standard size plot to a depth of six inches.
Ah yes but..... its better than nothing.. and you can find a friend with a trailer maybe..
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Thanks for the replies. It looks like I need both as I'm on heavy clay.
Gavin, there is a dairy farm near me but the farmer wants £65 a ton >:(
Wow £65 per ton,i paid £20 for 9 ton delivered before Christmas shame you dont live closer .
Which way did he come to Brid? I'll have some of that if he will deliver to Hull.
Paddy
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Keep an eye out for chicken pellet tubs at end of season when they are sold off. I have a quarter of a tub at allotment and another full one at home. Unless you can get horse manure from a safe source a combination of chicken pellets and home made composts is a good option.
Cheers HH