[Yana]

If the best thing to do is layer manure on the top of the soil and let the worms do their work over the winter, yet stop the rain leaching the nutrients out of the soil, do I layer the manure and then cover the soil?? 

[Trillium]

I wouldn't cover the soil because it needs to breathe and not harbor slugs, snails and various diseases that came through during summer.

You can either lay the manure on top of the soil, which is what I do, or you can put it on top and either rotovate or spade it in. Whatever you feel is best will work. There is no wrong or right as it all works out in the end.

[fatcat1955]

I would leave it on top for the worms to do their work. Put your feet up you have probably deserved it. In the spring you should just have to give it a light forking over, Saves all that hard work.

[Goosegirl]

Don't worry about nutrients being leached out. The manure is a great soil structure improvement, and you can add the necessary nutrients in the spring as needed.

[Yana]

Thanks for the replies. Unanimous if I'm not mistaken is to leave uncovered.
One last thing ........ I'll make sure that there are no (obvious) weeds before I layer the manure on, but weeds will still grow because it's open to the elements?

[Christine]

If you ever find a way of persuading weeds not to grow but letting the crops do so, you will be famous. 

[Yana]

Who was it that said:
'a weed is a plant in the wrong place', or something like that

[mumofstig]

The trouble with covering to stop weeds growing is that they all suddenly grow when you take the covers off again   

[Christine]

So you need to take the covers off two weeks before you have free time for a major weeding session and order in good weather then. 

[Yana]

I'll see what I can do about the weather. Cant promise anything though 

[Goosegirl]

Re- weeds. If they are annual, they will succumb to being under cover; however, their seeds won't unless they begin to grow before you put the cover on. Perennials like couch grass, etc, are best dug up before covering.

[Welsh Merf]

Yana, if it makes you feel any better, look at my diary to see what I did today: two sections of the plot rotovated and covered with a thick layer of horse manure. That's the way it stays until spring, when I'll rotovate the whole lot again.

The idea is that the winter elements attack and decompose the manure, and its goodness leaches into the soil underneath, all the time the frost breaking it up.

I used to grow veg many years ago, and I've studied all the wonderful advice here. But, at the end of the day, I had to make a choice of some sort. My father tells me that this is the way he's always done it, and everything worked well, so . . . need I say more?

[gowing238]

This year i have covered beds with cardboards to try and supress the weeds, then covered the carcboard with a big covering of manure!!!.

It sounded a good idea in my head!! I hope im not the only one!!!

[sunshineband]

Thanks for the replies. Unanimous if I'm not mistaken is to leave uncovered.
One last thing ........ I'll make sure that there are no (obvious) weeds before I layer the manure on, but weeds will still grow because it's open to the elements?

Here comes one vote for covering the soil 

Despite many who disagree with me, I cover my empty raised beds with black plastic in the winter as it stops them getting waterlogged and warms the soil nicely in the Spring.

There are no more or less slugs than usual, the soil gets more than sufficient air - the covers are not sealed down all around the edges but weighted with bricks - and any perennial weeds that start to grow are very obvious when the covers come off.

No great rush of weed seedlings either on taking the covers off.

Each to their own 

[Fatfingers]

If you can find well rotted horse manure preferably straw based is beneficial to add to the soil while you are digging in the autumn. Avoid horse manure with wood chipping as some of the larger wood chips if added to soil can rob nitrogen in the process of rotting down.