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formerly RGG

Last winter I was able to have a big mess of small trees and bushes and brambles and overgrowth cleared from the bottom edge of my property. What was left was mostly hard clay and rocks. I recently bought my first truck and have found free sources of horse manure. So I have hauled load after load of aged horse manure and dumped it on top of the clay. I think it will make a nice garden one of these days. But, I have gone ahead and planted tomatoes and peppers and some watermelon and squash and other things and they seem to be doing OK. I have not had a soil test done and will not afford one until next year. Should I expect to grow any decent vegetables in this new untested garden of pure manure ? The manure is probably 10" to 12" inches thick on average and I keep adding to it when I have a chance. If I can come up with a few dollars to spare I will probably add some bags of lime and gypsum to it. I have laid cardboard under some of the manure as it has been available to me, to help keep weeds from breaking through from under the manure.So it is like a huge raised bed of pure horse manure. Any thoughts ?

5/29/2012 10:42:10 PM

Bethlehem CT

In my experience plants do like to have some mineral soil (clay, silt or sand) mixed with the manure. But with that being said I have grown stuff on pure compost before and it has done just fine. If the plants appear to look O.K. I would have no reason to worry. If the manure was really out of whack, the plants would just sit there and do nothing. Probably turn yellow and start to decline. I would hold off on the lime and gypsum until you get it tested. Many barns use lime to help with smell.

5/30/2012 6:55:20 AM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

Along the same lines, I have been considering spreading about 300 lbs of worm casting over one of my pumpkin patches to see what effect it has. I've done this on some other plants and the growth is outstanding.

5/30/2012 7:28:45 AM

Cincinnati,OH

I have grown kins in manure. The ones I grew in small piles of manure did ok. The ones I grew in large piles dont like to set pumpkins, I am assuming due to soil borne diseases. So I agree with big moon you need some kind of dirt to go with manure. As Paps keeps reminding us, everything in moderation

5/30/2012 6:42:54 PM

Kentucky

Ron could it be because of so much N in the soil causing the plants to not set pumpkins?

6/1/2012 10:48:32 PM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

Also it could be that the PH of the manure caused the pollination issues.

6/2/2012 6:38:24 AM