which of these beds need fresh manure, and which well-rotted?

[queen of the cobs]

I'm clearing my beds, and planning on taking the advice of many vocal grapes to plant some winter crops, but also putting some to bed for winter (got a lot of ground).

So, I'm planning my beds for next year and wanted some advice on manuring. Am going to try the no dig method this year (well, might fork it in a bit )

My questions is, should I put fresh manure on all my beds (excpet for the root veg) or would some benefit from well-rotted? And how much? (Will probably rotovate in the spring).

Beds as follows:

Bed 1: onios and shallots
Bed 2: potatoes
Bed 3: squash
Bed 4: Sweetcorn and squash
Bed 5: courgettes
Bed 6: Fennel
Bed 7: Leeks
Bed 8: Celery
Bed 8: parsnips
Bed 9: peas and beans.


Many thanks,

[burnie]

I've only ever used well rotted and now we have this fear over chemicals in the animal feed,I would suggest the more rotted the better.

[Alison]

Fresh manure is too strong to plant in and you need to make sure it's well rotted before you use it or leave it for a good while before planting. I think, anyway!

[Snadger]

I usually 'muck' in between plantings. One thing comes out, I muck the area and plant another.
The only thing that fresh manure is any good for is to get an early start in a cold frame by filling it with fresh muck and covering with soil. This raises the temp of the soil and allows for early seed sowing. Very hard to get right and regulate though.

If you stack the fresh manure and compost it, it will probably be usable by the spring to spread and plant into, or better still use as a mulch and let the worms take it in!

[Eyren]

Fresh-ish manure should be OK on empty beds this time of year - plenty of time for weather and worms to do their job. If you're doing it around growing plants or in the spring, you need it to be well-rotted or it will burn the young plants.

I vaguely remember reading that you shouldn't put manure on growing crops in autumn, because the nitrogen boost could make them put on soft sappy growth that won't stand up to winter conditions. So, I'd be inclined to leave the leeks alone, or mulch with something less nutritious!

[Kristen]

I wouldn't fresh manure anywhere, it will rob the Nitrogen from the soil - even if its going to be left until the spring.

I would stack it, and thus get the heat up, and then spread it when it has composted for 6 months at least. Generally I add it to the compost heap as it helps accelerate the heap

The general advice is not to use Manure in the autumn / winter where you are planning to put Roots next year.

(Finally, do please make sure that you know about the risk from persistence of Dow Chemical's herbicide ForeFront [there are other brand names] used on pasture that has produced hay / silage that has then become manure - you need to ensure that cannot possibly have got into the manure you are planning to use)

[Snadger]

[quote=Kristen;280484..................it will rob the Nitrogen from the soil - even if its going to be left until the spring.

.......................I would stack it, and thus get the heat up, and then spread it when it has composted for 6 months at least.

[/quote]

Is the spring NOT about 6 months or more away?

[Kristen]

"Is the spring NOT about 6 months or more away?"

Yes, sorry what I was meaning was that I would stack / compost fresh manure for six months and then put it on the beds (in the Spring, as you say). I would not put fresh manure on the beds now.

I think better still would be to put some well-rotted on the beds (and dig in if you are not using raised beds) during the autumn [except for areas planned for Root crops next year]

[queen of the cobs]

thanks everyone, I think I'll stick to the well rotted on my beds. one more quick question though; someone said I should put well-rotted on my potato bed. Is this a general exception to the 'not on the roots bed' axiom?

[Alison]

Well rotted manure is well worth putting on the potato bed, although a potato is a root crop in the sense that the potatoes form on the roots, it's not the actual root that you eat and it's a totally different family. Hope that this makes sense!

[Snadger]

Rightly or wrongly I muck berfore everything ............apart from carrots and parsnips!

[Kristen]

"someone said I should put well-rotted on my potato bed. Is this a general exception to the 'not on the roots bed' axiom?"

yes, sorry I should have been clearer about "roots". Muck tends to make Carrots and Parsnips "fork", which spoils the crop. So those sorts of "Roots", rather than Spuds which will indeed benefit from muck