Soil....am i lucky?

[Veggiemama]

We rent this bungalow out in the country.

The soil is excellent for growing all our veg.

I dont use any manure or soil improvers (yet)

The thing is the farmer has his cows in the fields next to ours and i know that before this house was built (15 years ago) the cows also used this field to graze in. I am guessing they had used it for about 20 years (or more) before the house was built.


So, i am thinking that this has made the soil so good.

I had 2 veg patches last year (first year growing veg) and have 6 this year, plus the polytunnel. So, all my veg are basically growing on newly dug beds.


so, am i lucky and how long will this last?

As in......will i have to add manure at some point in the future?

Thanks
VM

[Glutton4...]

Yes, you are lucky, and yes, you will have to add to it over the years to maintain the structure and viability of the soil.

Think of it as feeding the soil. When you grow and harvest, you are removing nutrients, so these need to be replenished in order for the soil to keep providing you with a crop.

[Veggiemama]

Hi, thanks for that.

Now, my next qustion....

Although the cows are in the fields all around us....there is no smell.....dont know why, but no smell from the cow pats.....which i am thankful for.

Does all manure smell.....no so much for me, but my little autistic son just wouldnt tolerate the smell at all. So, wondering if it all smells, or does it just smell until it is dug in (hope you know what i mean)

Thanks

VM

[shirlthegirl43]

Well rotted manure shouldn't smell at all. Fresh, strawy manure smells because of the ammonia from the animal wee. We used to have a pony in the garden and all the stable waste went on the compost heap, it didn't smell once the top layer had dried off but there was an odour when the pile was stirred up. If it is a fair distance from the house your son shouldn't notice it. Otherwise, keep everything in a dalek bin and it will only be smelly when you are turning it.

[Glutton4...]

It smells when it is fresh, quite 'ripe' at times, and Cowpats are really smelly until they crust over, which on a warm day is only a few hours. Once it is rotted there's almost no odour. Horse manure smells less, but then I am immune to that!

Shirl's right - I hadn't even thought of the bedding issue! But I use shavings, which take longer to rot, but smell far less in the stable.