rotten down horse muck

[planthead]

hi everyone!
The other half has two horses and a load of horse manure is lying in a pile next to the stable asking to be used on my raised beds! do I need to let it rot down for a bit before I can use it? and if so how long for or can i dig it in now and by time spring is here my beds will be nice and ready?

[taff]

you can either let it rot and use it to top dress stuff that'll be growing mext year, or you can pile it on your beds now, leave it over the winter, the dig it in in the spring. You can stick it in a barrel and fill with water, leave for a while then use as a liquid feed.

I knw it's your oh but it's worth asking if the horse has been fed anything thats come into contact with aminopyralid. If it has, don't use it.

[Florence Fennel]

Wot she said ^^^ and lucky you having free and available horse manure.

[snohare]

Yeah, I'd emphasise that if he is not absolutely sure of the origins of the fodder, you want to check with whoever sold it, about aminopyralid. It will absolutely screw things up for you if it gets into your soil.
If you are planning on planting beans, I'd think of digging a bean trench and putting loads of muck in that;it'll absorb lots of moisture, which is half the battle with them. (I'd add banana skins to help with flowering too.)
Fruit bushes, being gross feeders, will love a couple of inches around the roots, as a deep surface dressing.
I envy you the muck, just not the feed or vet bills !

[planthead]

Will check with the seller we get the pony nuts from but they are on grass all year round and only get pony nuts in winter when there is less goodness in the feilds for them, The hay or chaff we get from the crofter down the road and nothing is added or sprayed on it,
was thinking about putting some early broad beans in to overwinter so will put some muck in , am going to fill 3 of the beds with the muck and cover till I start sowing then ( just have to go and collect it all first :/).
ha ye will be good for ME to get somthing in return from the horses!