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Princeville, IL

Another newbe questions. My neighbor has a Clydedale breeding farm and i have access to almost unlimited composted bedding. (He sells it by the semi load but gives it to me for free). I have used it in flower beds and on my regular garden and it benefits those plants. I figure it will benefit growing giant pumpkins also. Question is how much is too much. Should I spread a couple inches and till in or several inches and till in?

2/7/2013 4:53:37 PM

South East

I would start an ongoing compost project. Horse poo has weeds and grubs in it usually and composting kills both if done properly. As far as fresh horsemanure goes, a 4 inch layer goes a long way..

2/7/2013 7:24:24 PM

Boscawen, NH

I would start collecting and composting as Tina and Frank suggested. I always have three very large compost piles going of different ages, one well composted (12-18 months), one that is 3-6 months but still very bio-active and one that is just beginning to break down. Before you decide on how much to use you should have a soil test done that gives you the levels of major and micro nutrients as well as organic matter. From there I would suggest using Bryan Langley's soil calculator to determine the impact of adding one, two or three yards per 1000 sq. feet. You can get his calculator of the resource page from the GPC site.

2/7/2013 9:45:02 PM

Cochran, Georgia

Apply and till in no more than 2 inches a year. compost further decays once incorporated into the soil and ties up a large quantity of nitrogen as it decomposes into simple-chained Organic matter. If you apply too much high carbon compost at one time all of the nitrogen in the soil will be tied up until decomposition is complete. Also, if it is composted correctly it should kill the majority of weed seeds. And when comparing to recommendations from a soil test, remember you are applying a compost and not pure manure. A test may also be done on your compost for a more accurate recommendation.

2/11/2013 6:59:43 PM

The North Coast

I would get as much as your spouse would allow and then follow all the recommendations above.

2/11/2013 7:40:16 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Also, what is the bedding at the farm? Wood chips or straw??

If it's wood chips the longer the composting will take when compared to the straw/manure mix. I much prefer straw bedding manure for my compost and made a fatal flaw with uncomposted wood in the compost and into the patch one year...wont do that again.

2/15/2013 7:23:08 PM

Cochran, Georgia

I think it is already composted...

2/18/2013 9:20:53 PM

Princeville, IL

yes, the horsemanure/woodchips is composted. Neighbor has 24 Clydesdales(sp) which produce a lot of manure. He sales it commercially but lets me have whatever i need. he has compost piles that are 40 yards long by 15 yards wide by 12 foot tall. he usually has three piles going from well composed to current additions. Lots of compost available but wondering how much to use.

2/18/2013 10:40:16 PM

Anchorage Alaska

Holy Crap... the man has 3 compost piles..at 120 ft long x 45 ft wide and 12 ft high..lol..wow that's awsome.. from 24 clydesdales...elephants have nothing on him ...yikes

2/18/2013 11:28:43 PM

Princeville, IL

There is a paddock right next too our property and when he lets them out in the morning and they go running across the pens you can feel the ground shake. lol. Neat thing to see though.They think they are race houses when they run. He will start selling by the semi truck come spring and the piles go down fast then. Will make sure I get mine early so it comes from the oldest pile.

2/19/2013 9:11:00 AM

Partlow,Va

WOW!!!!
It's a match made in heaven.
I raise swine. Maybe have 1-3 litters born a year. I just started composting the bedding in the farrowing house.I also will change my bedding schedule and use less pine bedding and more straw to make better compost. I never piled the manure and waited very long to spread it. All of this I have learned here at BP.Thanks everyone and good luck to all this year!

2/19/2013 5:11:59 PM

Princeville, IL

okay, now I am going to have to go measure the piles cause I'm second guessing myself. Maybe i have fisherman syndrome and they just seemed that big to me. I do know he has his wood chip bedding delivered by the semi truck load and he sells compost by the semi truck load but maybe my imagination is getting the better of me. Just thinking of my 70 x 30 foot growing plots and they are a lot bigger than that. told him I would need about 20 tractor buckets full and he said no problem, get what I needed.

2/19/2013 5:41:33 PM