Manure for your Garden
How many websites that you know of, have a page devoted to manure? Not too
many, huh!?! Well, we do and right about now, we should give a light hearted
pause for a few jokes. Considering the fact that we are a "kid-safe" website,
we will pass on the normal humor and dig right into the topic.
Pretty much everybody knows what manure is. But after that, what do we really
know about it? Sometimes not much. But then, how many people do you know
of strive in life to be the subject matter expert on this topic, despite
it's importance in the gardening world?
Value of Manure:
It's the "black gold" of the gardening world. Manure does a couple of things
for your soil. First, it contains a rich and wide range of mineral and nutrients.
It provides abundant amounts of the three main chemicals your plants need-
Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Importantly, it also contains many of
the micro-nutrients that we hear less about.
The second benefit of manure is that it adds to the composition of the
soil. It contains both animal waste and straw (or sometimes sawdust). In
addition to all of those valuable, naturally sourced chemicals and nutrients,
well-decomposed manure adds valuable compost that holds moisture and promotes
easier, and healthier, root growth.
Tip: When dealing with manure, make sure that is it well-decomposed.
Work it into the garden in the fall. And, never use fresh manure in the spring
or summer.
We emphasize well-decomposed (or well rotted). Fresh manure is very "hot"
and can damage your plants. Have you ever seen a dog "do his thing" on the
lawn, and found a brown spot a few days later? This is because fresh manure
is very high in nitrogen and burns plants. That same reseeded spot a few
weeks later is the greenest spot in the lawn, as the area is still rich in
nitrogen.
Thought for the Day: When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty.
Not All Manures are created equal!
To suggest that all manures are the same is to be naive. The diet of each
and every animal varies, especially between vegetarian and carnivores. Most
of the manures which you have regular access to are vegetarian. But even
within this group, diets are different, and the digestion process functions
different. Dietary changes, especially seasonal, also affect the final "finished
product".
As an example of the differences, horses eat lots of field grasses and weeds.
They do not pulverize their food as they eat it, and their digestive tract
allows many weed seeds to pass through unaffected. As a result, a horse excretes
many of those seeds. People who use horse manure, experience far more weeds
in their gardens.
Cows on the other hand, also eat lots of field grasses and weeds. They chew
and grind their food far more thoroughly, and their digestive system processes
the food far more efficiently. The "end" product has far fewer weed seeds
in it.
What kind of manures do gardeners use? The answer to this is pretty
much what is available locally in your area.
Cow Manure - One of the two most popular manures, as it is available
in large quantities. Farmers who convert cow pastures to farmland, reap excellent
results. The disadvantage is it is a bit messier to handle.
Horse Manure - This is the second of the top two sources available
to home gardeners. Again, the supply is usually readily available. It is
mixed with straw or sawdust. With a barrel and a pitchfork, and you are all
set.
Chicken Manure - If you are near a chicken farm, this is good source
of manure.
Turkey Manure - As with Chicken manure, if you live near a turkey
farm, stop by and see if the farmer will let you take some.
Sea Gull Manure - In the humorous book "Pumpkins are Orange" by Jack
Breckinridge, a pumpkin grower goes off in search of quantities of seagull
manure on the theory that everything near the ocean grows big because of
it. Who knows, he may be right!
Rabbit Manure - Some suggest that rabbit manure is absolutely the
best they have used. Finding big quantities is the challenge.
Bat Guano - Bat Guano (manure) is believed to be the absolute best
of manures. Commercially, it commands the highest prices.
Did you know? There are articles and research on which type of bats
produce the best bat guano.
Human Manure - While this is practiced in some foreign countries,
the home gardener should avoid it. Untreated human waste has human disease
that you can pick up or transmit.
Dog and cat Manure- okay for flower garden, but not recommended for
the vegetable garden.
Stray waste(Deer, etc)- Limit to the flower garden or discard.
Sources of Manure:
The most common source is farms in your neighborhood. Some farms will charge
for you to take it. Others will let you haul it away for free. A few, will
not let you take it at all. In all cases, we recommend you be polite and
respect the other person's property that you are on, as an offensive person
or two can spoil access to those who come seeking manure later.
If you go often, bring along some of the fruits of your labor(flowers, fruits,
vegetables). It goes a long way towards developing friendship to someone
who is giving you something of value for free.
Before you go: Manure tends to get all over, no matter what you do.
You would be amazed at how many people do not plan ahead for this task.Wear
old clothes. Protect your vehicle by placing plastic covering down even,
if you are hauling it in covered containers. Place plastic or newspaper on
the floor under your feet. Shovels and pitchforks are a necessity. I saw
one person once come up and ask to use the farms tools. He left quickly.
And, don't forget an old towel in case you need to wipe your hands before
touching the steering wheel.
More Information:
Fresh Manure and Food Gardens Don't Mix - the keyword
here is "fresh"
Manure
Guide From the Old Farmer's Almanac
Organic
Vegetable Gardening contains tables on the N-P-K values and pH of various
manures and compost materials
Buy Flower, Vegetable and Herb Seeds Finest quality
Ferry Morse Seed, America's oldest seed company with their famous "guarantee
to grow".
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