Have I gone overboard with the manure?

[Curlykale]

Hi all

In a great rush to get everything done ready for the growing season I have been chucking huge heaps of manure onto my new raised beds as soon as they have been built, thinking I was doing the best thing to keep the weeds down and improve the soil.

I have 16 beds (in four blocks of 4) and have been looking into crop rotation to decide what to plant where. I have settled on a 4 year rotation of (1) Potatoes (2) Legumes (3) Brassicas and (4) Onions and roots.

After doing some reading, however, it seems as though the only crop that will benefit from the manure is potatoes. I have read that onions and roots shouldn't be grown in ground that has had manure added, and that brassicas and legumes need lime not manure.

Does this mean I will have to take all the manure off all the beds apart from the ones I will be using for potatoes?

I am also in the process of making 3 permanent beds for rhubarb, asparagus and strawberries which I am planning on planting in the next week or so - am I right in thinking they will all benefit from manure? Or is too late to add it just before planting?

Any advice gratefully received, as always!

[stupot]

Hi CurlyKale,

How rotten down is the manure? Is is brown and cumbly and sweet smelling? If so it's rotted down. Thing about "fresh" manure is that it's full of nitrogen and this can burn plants growing in it.

[Curlykale]

Hi Stupot

Yes, it is fairly well broken down but won't the soil have the wrong nutrients in for the roots, legumes and brassicas if I leave the manure on it?

[zazen999]

Roots - no
brassicas - a little will be fine
legumes - fine if you dig a trench and pop it in the bottom, mixed with newspaper or other fibrous material.

I had a shed load delivered and had to wind Mr Z back from putting it on every bed. Loads has gone on the spud bed and 2 builders bags [for spuds]. The rest is either in small piles for digging in when the time comes to plant, or piled onto couple of separate beds [one large one] which will be covered and will have squashes planted into them for the summer.

And I'll be bringing some back for the greenhouse.......to grow toms and peppers in.

[SarzWix]

The brassicas will be fine - unless your soil is acid, they don't NEED lime. The roots - carrots,parsnips deifinitley DON'T want the manure, so you'll have to take it off those beds. If it's broken down to the point that it doesn't look like straw/poo anymore, you could leave it for the onions and legumes, but make sure it's woked right into the soil rather than sitting ina layer on the top. If it's still looking strawy, then yes, I'd remove it, and stack it in a heap somewhere to rot down for a bit longer.

[leah]

Roots - no
brassicas - a little will be fine
legumes - fine if you dig a trench and pop it in the bottom, mixed with newspaper or other fibrous material.

I had a shed load delivered and had to wind Mr Z back from putting it on every bed. Loads has gone on the spud bed and 2 builders bags [for spuds]. The rest is either in small piles for digging in when the time comes to plant, or piled onto couple of separate beds [one large one] which will be covered and will have squashes planted into them for the summer.

And I'll be bringing some back for the greenhouse.......to grow toms and peppers in.

Might be a silly question but can you grow in a bagful of well rotted manure on its own or would you mix it with compost?

[Bigmallly]

I don't think it's a silly question but I would hazzard a guess & say that if it is "well" rotted then it is in effect compost.

[zazen999]

Might be a silly question but can you grow in a bagful of well rotted manure on its own or would you mix it with compost?

I'll mix it in with home made compost