[Penny Finn]

I have heard so many differing opinions about the use of horse manure on the plot.  I have just 'collected' some which is fresh.  Would it be alright to bag it up and keep it on the plot to use next year, or is that too soon? Would be grateful for advice

[fatbelly]

Save it for next year.
I don't think you need to bag it up just leave it in a pile unless it is already bagged that is, in which case leave it bagged..
I put some where my BNS are this year and they are romping away like triffids.

I just wish I could get more horse manure in my opinion its the Bees Knees of manures.

[compostqueen]

I use horse or cow poo whenever I can get my hands on it.  I use it in any state as I'm not fussy    You can bag it, bin it (compost bin) or spread it and leave it over the winter. You can fork it in or rotovate it in spring

World's your oyster 

[solway cropper]

I use horse or cow poo whenever I can get my hands on it


I do hope you wear gloves 

[Junie]

Just a word of warning if you do pile it, Keep it out of the way of chooks or dogs.  I spent a good couple of hours collecting horse manure from our field after our neighbours horses had left.  Six months later here was none left, lots of intersting bugs for the chooks so they spread it far and wide, and the dog had to have lots of baths as he enjoyed rolling in it,  Mine now goes into my 'dalek to mature.

[Penny Finn]

Thank you for the advice.  It isn't really necessary to let it 'age' then?  I can just spread it over the ground when I have taken out this year's crops and let it overwinter?

[codheadred]

Hi there

Depends if it is manure or a mixture of manure and stable sweepings - at my previous allotment we got horse manure from the police stables dumped a few times a year.

This from what I could see included a lot of straw. This definitely needed to be rotted down for a good while before using and if put down raw it would rob the soil of nitrogen.

Regards Steven





 

[Penny Finn]

Re your comments Steven - it is just horse poo, straight from the paddock so no stable sweepings or straw etc.. Do you think that is ok to put straight on the ground when the crops are out?

[tosca100]

Save it for next year.
I don't think you need to bag it up just leave it in a pile unless it is already bagged that is, in which case leave it bagged..
I put some where my BNS are this year and they are romping away like triffids.

I just wish I could get more horse manure in my opinion its the Bees Knees of manures.

Have you tried asking where you see horses? Most yards would be extreemly happy to have someone take some away.

[codheadred]

Id  still let it rot down a while like I would do cow muck or it might burn new plants

[PAULW]

Spread it on the ground where you are going to plant your spuds next year and let it overwinter digging in just before you plant out.

[Trillium]

Any raw muck can be spread in fall after crops are taken off and left to age over winter. All depends on what your plans are and what storing facilities you have. However, don't spread it where you've put in garlic and winter onions as raw manure will burn them.

[Salmo]

If you spread it on the soil over Winter you will loose some of the nitrogen which will be washed out. More nitrogen in the ground water is environmentally bad practice anyway.

Best practice is either to bag it or heap it and cover it.

[Livinhope]

From the many posts on this subject the general advice seems to be that spreading and leaving to overwinter is quite acceptable.  Too much in the composter can cause problems unless there is a fair bit of dry stuff added, and owning two producers of the same I have found that too much doesn't rot down in a confined space.  Left in bags, with plenty of worms finding their way in, results in a lovely product after time.  I can't see that an amount of manure on an allotment is going to cause major environmental problems.

[binner]

i have more of the stuff that i know what to do with we have a horse on the same site as out allotment,
i would say if you can get a good supply just pile it up and let it rot, covered with some old carpet etc, last year i run out so ended up spreading fresh stuff on a couple of the beds and now they are solid with weeds! it does seem that if you let it rot down most of the grass and weed seeds from the paddock and hay dont grow back