digging it

[phil_c]

Hi all

Can anyone please advise when is best to dig in manure. I assume Now is better than the Spring. Or should i just spread the stuff on the surface, and let the weather at it until Jan/Feb then dig it over.

Silly question i guess, but i just want to get some heads up on it all.

[Flummery]

Well I've just got some and spread it around where I want the plot manuring in spring. When I come to tickle up the soil prior to planting, the worms will have done most of it for me. That's the theory. Hope the worms have read the same book!

[binley100]

Well I've just got some and spread it around where I want the plot manuring in spring. When I come to tickle up the soil prior to planting, the worms will have done most of it for me. That's the theory. Hope the worms have read the same book!

Me too!!!

[Comfreyfan]

Mixed views - it depends when I get round to it! In the autumn is good because the worms and the frost help to break everything up, but I don't feel too bad if it doesn't happen then because I have heard it said that it does better on a warming soil and that if you leave it until after the worst of the winter rain you don't wash out too much of the goodness. But you can get caught out if the spring is very wet and the ground gets difficult to work, so probably when your soil is most workable is best.

Sorry that's really indecisive and possibly no help at all

[rustylady]

Spread it around now. Unless of course you particularly want to do loads of hard work digging it in now. Come spring it should be fairly well incorporated.

[Rocketron]

Mixed views - it depends when I get round to it! In the autumn is good because the worms and the frost help to break everything up, but I don't feel too bad if it doesn't happen then because I have heard it said that it does better on a warming soil and that if you leave it until after the worst of the winter rain you don't wash out too much of the goodness. But you can get caught out if the spring is very wet and the ground gets difficult to work, so probably when your soil is most workable is best.

Sorry that's really indecisive and possibly no help at all

Here you go
round tuit - Wiktionary

[Pumpy]

A similar question really, just got my first carload of horse manure, its fairly fresh but still light in colour so is not well rotted.
Plan is to spread a layer on the ground and dump the rest in a mound on top to use next spring elsewhere in the garden or just dug in to where it is.
Will the area I have used to "mature" the manure be good for growing pumpkins (or anything else) or should I let it mature elsewhere and use it in the spring?

Really have had mixed views on this.

Thanks

P

[Snadger]

Old gardening books used to advocate digging in manure in a double digging regime.
My personal view is that if you put a six inch layer of manure one spit deep you finish up with a 1/2 inch thick compacted layer by spring.

I, along with many others, like to add my manure to the surface and let the worms take it down. This has the advantage of mulching the ground keeping weeds down, makes the topsoil full of worms and other small creatures which aids aeration, keeps the surface 'fluffy' and full of air, keeps all the nutrients in the top spit where the plants can benefit from them.
Once established, a no dig regime will have a high percentage of crops in the soil at any one time so a lot of the manuring will be around growing plants which can benefit straight away.


Nothing wrong with 'Bastard trenching'......but it's well named!!!!!.

[Bigmallly]

I put 20 barrow loads of black gold on my empty beds yesterday (and it was black). I plan to go back to the stables in spring to get a top up.

[moola]

As we are on clay in the past I haverough dug and let the autumn worms and then the worst of the winter break up the soil a bit. Come Feb I have put down manures then covered with fleece to warm the soil. Seemed to work ok for most but I think my potatoes suffered a bit - I don't think the chook manure was worked in well enough. many had burnt holes so probably too much acid in my mix whereas my potatoes in pots (done later with soil odds and ends) were perfect.

[Two_Sheds]

my potatoes suffered a bit - I don't think the chook manure was worked in well enough. many had burnt holes so probably too much acid in my mix

Potatoes like a slightly acidic soil. Chook poo is actually on the alkaline side

[geoff]

Spread it now, you should be too busy with other things to do it in the Spring!

You could put down a layer of cardboard or newspaper first, that will help to supress the weeds a bit, then in the spring that will have rotted and you can dig in the whole lot. But if the weather's too bad to do much work don't worry too much, spread and/or dig as and when