[Ma Lowe]

I have 7 chickens who sh** for England and Wales. Had them for nearly 2 years and have 2 compost bins full of the stuff.
The manure has Hemcore with it from the coop but very little of anything else.



My questions are

How long do I need to leave the stuff rot before I can use on my veg plots

Can I dig it in on my potatoe plot for this year

Anything else I need to do with it

Ashes,

We have cut down a lot of conifer trees from our garden this past few months and have burnt them all along with other paper things.

My question is

Can this be used on the veg plots anywhere .


Thank you

Ma x

[sarajane]

I,ve  just put a trowel full of 1 year old chicken poo under every potato set I have planted with a sprinkling of soil on top so the potato is not sitting directly on the poo. Have done this in the past and we do get reasonable spuds.  I have also soaked the poo in water for a few weeks and then diluted it (similar to weak tea)to feed tomatoes and runner beans and I have to say, always get good crops (it does stink a bit tho).

The wood ash I would put around my fruit bushes  at this time of yearas I think is is quite high in potash.

[Trillium]

Like sarajane says, let it rot down before using as it's very strong. I spread mine over the plots in fall and all is ready by spring, or you can simply compost it until it no longer smells and then use it. The ammonia in chicken manure will also rot any bedding materials so no worries there. And poo tea is also useful, just not really fresh poo.

Yes, ashes are quite strong but useful. So be sparing with them when spreading. If I recall correctly, about 1 cup per 3 square yards. It's not an exact science but don't be too generous or it will stunt plant growth rather than help it.