[mum23kids]

Hi - I'm (very slowly) clearing my new allotment which is heavy, heavy clay and almost undiggable at the moment.

I have access to lots of thick cardboard boxes and rotted horse manure. If I cut down the big weeds, attempt to dig out the brambles and strim the rest (small bed at a time), is it OK to put cardboard on top then a thick layer of manure on that? Or should it be the other way round, with some manure under the cardboard?

Many thanks in advance for any answers/advice.

Elaine

[compostqueen]

you put the muck over the cardboard and then plant on top or through it and it will keep the weeds at bay til you've harvested the plant. That's the theory anyways 

[mum23kids]

Thanks for your quick reply CompostQueen. Didn't expect anyone else to still be up at this time!
In that case I will bag all the boxes waiting to be dumped at work tomorrow! Then off with shovel to the stables.
How long does the cardboard take to rot down?

Thanks
Elaine

[Trillium]

Depends how many layers of cardboard you add, but a single layer should be mostly apart within 2 months, which is long enough to suffocate most weeds.

[Yorkie]

Can't remember if you've said this already - but have you checked that the manure won't be contaminated with aminopyralid or clopyralid?  i.e. if the grass the horses eat, or the stuff used for bedding, has been treated with either of these herbicides in the past.

Avoid like the plague if it has.