[bigsprouts]

hi all i put 4 ton of manure on my half plot and it seems to have made it retain more moisture and has made the soil really hard to break down to a fine tilth so have i done a wrong'un? i put the manure on last october

[gobs]

Yes, there is but not in this respect. Lesson you learnt though, if you put out manure in autumn, dig it in. You use as mulch, retaining moisture for the summer, in spring.

[bigsprouts]

cheers gobs will bear that in mind next time

[Trillium]

I'm with gobs on that. Quantity isn't really a problem. But it does need to be turned in for fall to help loosen the soil all through. Left to sit on top, the manure only leaches into hard soil and softens the surface a little. I didn't have time last fall to turn one manured bed over and I really noticed the difference this spring when rotovating them all over.