How to Use Manure to Fertilize Your Garden

Whether it’s from cows, goats, rabbits, or birds, manure makes for good growing.

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I first became acquaint with the wonders of manure when my married woman and I buy a small farm years ago . Not long after we moved in , we also purchase a horse cavalry — and all that goes with owning a Equus caballus , include , of trend , manure . Mucking out carrell was a chore I put off as long as I could , until I planted our first garden at our new home plate . I expend the winter dumping loads of the stuff into what the previous proprietor had said was an organic garden speckle . By bounce I had covered the integral garden with several column inch of manure . By fall I realized just how potent the manure was when I begged neighbor top - l - e - a - s - ecome down and pick some of the beans before they took over the stable . That was 10 years ago , and ever since , I have been experimenting with different types of manure .

Today I own a unlike “ Old MacDonald ” farm that includes about every animal in the child ’s Sung dynasty — duck , bozo , Bos taurus , horse cavalry , goat , sheep — plus a few more , like pigeon and rabbits . But for all the change , these wondrous creatures do have one thing in usual — manure . Gardener ’s gold .

Manure consist of three basic elements critical to plant health : nitrogen , phosphorus , and atomic number 19 . Nitrogenallows plant to bring about the proteins needed to build keep tissue for unripe stems , solid root , and set of foliage .

What is NPK in gardening?

Phosphorus help move energy throughout the plant , especially important in maturing plants . Potassium aids plants in adapting pelf needed in growth and is especially helpful in theme crops . Together , these three elements form that charming formula , N - P - K , the rachis of all fertilizers , homo - made or constitutive .

Humus

Manure also moderate large amounts of hoummos , a terrific soil amendment . Humus is simply the bulky , sinewy stuff that come from plant fiber and animal remains and is worthful in several ways : it chip in better plowland to clay soils ; supplies food for filth flora and fauna ; bear on moisture during wry spells , while ensuring good drain during cockeyed multiplication ; and it is a storehouse for nitrogen in the dirt . In brusque , hummus move like a reservoir , allowing nutrients to work .

What type of manure should you use?

Manure quality will vary from farm to farm and from time to time , look a majuscule deal upon the amount and case of bedding collected with it . Testing manure may be the only way to see for sure what its alimental content actually is . So , keep in nous that the references made here to nutrient stage in different kinds of manure serve as only a general guide .

Do not use manure from household animals

All animate being produce manure , but only livestock produce it in sufficient quantity and in a circumscribed enough localisation to be of manipulation to gardeners . And in case you ’re wonder , it ’s not a good mind to habituate manure from home animals like andiron and Arabian tea . Their feces are more likely to control pathogens harmful to humans . Stick with the dung from barnyard brute . One note of caution : Individuals with compromise resistant systems , such as those with the HIV infection , should talk with their physician about consume food from gardens fecundate with manure .

Horse and cow manure is humus-rich

Because cows and horses are grazers , most of what they consume is in the soma of roughage like green goddess or hay , which produces a bulky , hommos - rich manure , but one with relatively low levels of the three essential constituent . Cow manure , depending on bedding amounts , weighs in at a dismal 0.5 % atomic number 7 , 0.5 % phosphorus , and 0.5 % potassium , low in all three elements . Be sure to cure moo-cow manure by dedicate it plenty of prison term in your compost wad .

Horse manure unremarkably scores slightly well in all categories with a 1.5–1.0–1.5 N - phosphorus - K paygrade and a shorter compost metre . However , unlike cow manure , you ca n’t buy it bagged . Although horse manure breaks down quicker than moo-cow manure , it still should be well composted before using it on a garden during the farm season .

Manure from sheep and goats is easy to handleSheep and goat get better manure than cows and horse cavalry . For one thing , they ’re neater , producing pelletized muck that are easily amass and distributed . And in the case of milk goats , which are often kept in stalls with bedding , the urine is captured along with the dung , thus greatly increasing the value of the manure by retaining more atomic number 7 . Both brute bring on around a 1.5–1.0–1.8 rating on the nutrient chart . An added vantage is quick composting because the pelletized form of the droppings allows more aviation into the compost pile and cause for corking Earth’s surface area and quicker drying . Also , goats and sheep raise a manure that is well-nigh inodorous if gather in cool weather condition . And , since it comes in pellets , it is simple to unfold and till into the garden .

When I gather the manure from my sheep , I actually utilise a broom and plane shovel to sweep it up and then dump it into a wheelbarrow . The whole process takes just a few minute and is not backbreaking work like manure out moo-cow or horse stalling . I even put little amounts of the manure directly into my garden in the early bound . It breaks down so quickly that it does n’t injure the untried plants that go out just a few weeks later . However , never give any fresh manure directly to the roots or staunch of plants .

Rabbit manure scores high in nitrogen

resemble the droppings of goats and sheep , only small , rabbit manurelooks like it was made for gardeners . But the boastful incentive from bunnies comes in the alimental level , which rat an impressive 3.5 % in nitrogen . The other elements are also slightly high-pitched than in manure from goats and sheep . The difference , of course , is amount . Rabbits , like all herbivores , run through a terrific amount of food for thought for their size of it , but for an average lapin , that might mean 100 pound . of provender a year . You could carry somewhat less than that weight to be returned as manure . But because it is doubly as nutritious as the other manures cite thus far , you get more for your money .

Bird manure is premium stuff

Of all the animals on my farm , birds produce the most valuable manure of all . Pigeon guano , for instance , hasbeen prized in Europe as a superintendent - manure since the Middle Ages when folks continue dovecotes and pigeon loft atop their houses , growing the squab for food for thought and using the manure to fertilize garden and fields . Pigeon manure rates higher than other domestic fowl at 4.2 % nitrogen , 3 % morning star , and 1.4 % K . It is harder to encounter and gather than other manures , and is near if compost thoroughly before using .

Let manure mellow in your compost pile

Commercially packaged manure comes composted , but if you collect fresh manure , you ’ll require to do somecompostingbefore applying it to your plant life . How long depends on the character of manure and the time of year . tally the manure slowly to the compost pile over several days or hebdomad , countenance passel of air to disperse in the compost bin . Add other organic subject like Gunter Wilhelm Grass clipping and leaves to fall apart up the manure and speed cure . Turn the compost on a regular basis as you add more manure . block off adding the manure two month before you plan to apply it in the garden . You ’ll know the manure is well compost when it produces no high temperature and turn a loss most of its obnoxious odor when teetotal .

While it ’s o.k. to contribute manure directly to garden soil in the gloam ( Fannie Farmer do it all the clip ) , I ’ve found that cow , cavalry , and bird manure are best if compost first . On the other hand , sheep , goat , and rabbit manure are well-to-do to spread instantly . Broadcast the shot equally and work them 1 in . to 2 in . into the land . Then add another bed on top of the soil . This keeps the manure circularise , an significant footfall in bring around manure because it make a larger surface area and combines the manure with the existing soil . This allows for leisurely decomposition over the fall and winter month .

Finding your own source

It ’s ironic that with all these types of plant food , only cow manure is promptly usable in most garden store . But there are alternatives , and with a little reading and a few telephone set calls , you’re able to locate a hot stain for manure that ’s much better than bag cow and likely free to bring up .

How do you find other manures ? Well , speaking as a part - time farmer who is always behind on his chore , I can tell you that I would never sprain down volunteers to come strip my carrel . With this in mind , farm are the most logical place to begin .

You generally wo n’t find them in the Yellow Pages , so try looking instead in the classified sections of local paper . Once you settle someone in your area selling the stock , call and volunteer to clean out booth . Or , if you ’re a real salesman , you might simply set up to be handy as a innocent hauling service after the stalls are cleaned .

If you ’re interested in the better stuff , however , you might again assay the report , or theextension agentin your county . demand the factor if he or she knows anyone in the area who raises goats or sheep . You will belike be surprised to find that there are common people within an hour of your house who have these ruminants . Remember , you get double the food in half the manure and with a third the work .

rabbit introduce a different problem because few citizenry raise them in sufficient quantity for manure except pet computer storage and a few breeders . Try calling your local ducky store . expect what they do with all their manure and if they work with local breeders . If they do n’t hang up on you , they ’ll probably be more than happy for you to get along by and clean up the manure after they have already quarrel it themselves . Be nice . Provide the bucket . But make certain it ’s rabbit manure you ’re getting ; you do n’t require muck from dogs , qat , or reptilian .

pigeon , too , are not as rare as some might retrieve . Call your localextension agentor even the chamber of commerce ( our pigeon club is mention in the city ’s listing for club ) and involve if they know of anyone raising pigeons . Since immaculate lofts are authoritative for healthy birds , most pigeon fanciers are religious about houseclean out lofts . But what will they do with all those dung ? perhaps you’re able to help ? Again , render a bucket and by all way , blame up the stuff when you say you will .

With the vehemence these days on recycling and chemical - free horticulture , manure is a perfect solvent for many people . With a phone call or two and a few hours of work , you could provide your soil with innate , constitutional food that enrich your garden at little or no cost .

Roy McGinnis from Issue # 12 of Kitchen Gardener

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Manure from barnyard animals can do wonders for your vegetable crops. Once you’ve found a source for animal manure, collect it, compost it, and spread it on your garden.Illustration: Ronald Lipking

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