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Manure or something else?

I have some new beds to make (veggie and cut flower) and I need to improve the soil but don't have much in the way of home made compost yet. We have cow barns at the bottom of our track is it something I can use to improve the soil (perhaps after a period of composting?). Or am I better off buying something in? I'm going to need lots over the next year or two for further projects. There's just such a bewildering choice and some are so expensive (??120+ per dumpy bag)!
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  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,023

    I would choose the cow manure, but only if it is well rotted. Did wonders for my veggie garden years ago, had a farm size trailer load.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039

    As BL says, must be rotted down for 6-9 months, but  will then be wonderful

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Morning Helcatt. How fortunate you are to have a nearby supply of farmyard cow manure. You cannot get anything much better, but as punkdoc suggests it should be composted for 6-9 months. I also overlay fresh manure on some beds in late autumn and then work in in the Spring. A word of warning here, do not use fresh manure on root crop beds or you will get distorted veggies. 

  • Guys, could he use the fresh stuff like a hot bed for this year? image
  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    Free manure is always preferable to something you have to buy!
  • HelcattHelcatt Posts: 18

    This is brilliant - thank you for your advice! I think it's worth having a chat with the farmer by the sounds of it!!  Do I just keep it all in a big pile to compost it or should I be layering it with other stuff too?  Will it work if I just create a big pile (I think it's mostly mixed with straw anyway from the cows feed/bedding).

    Think I need to go and find out what a 'hot bed' is too...

  • If it's nearby fill ypur boots.. You could still collect leaves from a park or somewhere relatively weed-free and pile 'em on to get the worms aerating your soil.

    For  hot bed Google 'Beechgrove hot bed' it was 7 Apr 2014 and a follow up on episode 16. Need a raised bed or it's a lot of digging.

  • Ooops sorry Helcatt, should have explained, but i do tend to ramble a bit! Probably best to google hot beds fist, then ask on here if you need to after.



    You can do either with your muck pile, layers or by itself, have you got a bean trench going yet? You can chuck a lot of your compostable stuff in there, theres probably 3 or more months left til beans can go out, so plenty of time image



    Dont forget, pumpkins and sqush love muck and can be grown on a vompost heap, its a great way to use the space image
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,888

    just watched the divine Chris on Beechgrove. When is it usually on? Used to watch it when it first came on in the 70s in Scotland, but haven't seen it since. Is it still based around Aberdeen somewhere?

     

    Devon.
  • HelcattHelcatt Posts: 18

    Me too - thanks to Bekkie and Frank.  Now I want a Hot Bed!  Have to build some raised beds first tho' - which means I should really think about getting some terraces is my sloping garden...  And start a composting area...  the 'to-do' list grows!

    The Beechgrove Hot Bed episode can be found here if anyone wants to check it out:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01xrn7y

    BBC2, Episode 4, Release date: 22 Apr 2014 and it's back on in Spring at some point

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