Growing in Horse Manure

[freefolk]

I have put a good quantity of well rotted horse manure in my raised beds (for cabbages and sprouts). The last 2 years I put top soil/compost over the top. However, I believe I can plant straight into the manure. Does anyone have any views on this? Many thanks.

[Thelma Sanders]

If it's well rotted (ie not smelly!) it should be fine to plant into - but don't forget brassicas like growing in a firm soil, so pack the bed down, rather than leave it fluffy.
Ideally I'd have planted the brassicas into undug soil and then mulched around them with the manure

[Snadger]

Hoss muck is dependant on what the horses bedding and feed was .The hoss muck I got was mainly sawdust based and takes a long time to break down. The beauty of it was that my tatties seemed to flourish in it even when it was fresh.

[Chestnut]

I have never tried it with brassicas, but last year’s courgettes thrived on the muckheap ( had been rotting since previous autumn).

[Penellype]

I grew brassicas (turnips, swede, kohl-rabi and cabbage) in a mixture of rotted horse manure and leaf mould last year and most grew very well. I did top it up with a layer of used compost from pots of other veg, but this was mainly to keep any weeds down. Horse manure can be full of hay seeds, which tend to drop on the stable floor and be swept up with the muck, so you can get quite a bit of grass growing, depending on how hot the muck pile got when it was rotting down.

[freefolk]

My neighbour has his own way. He puts some compost down where he will plant his cabbage/brussels, so it is just larger than the width of his cabbage collars. He then plants through it, firms it, and puts a cabbage collar round the base. Been doing it for years, and never fails! Each to their own.