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western PA

I have a depression in my new pumpkin patch and would like to fill it in a little. It is now very big, but just low enough to cause water to lay there for a while after a good rain. The easiest option I have is to fill it in with old manure. This is old cow manure that is probably over 5 to 8 years old.
So here is my plan so far. I have just spread a nice 4 inch layer of 2 year old manure over the entire patch. My plan is to fill up 2 loads of the 5 to 8 year old manure and dump it in the depression site, and toss it around with a shovel.
If i do this it will probably take me 3 seasons till the depression is leveled out.
Does anyone think this will be too much manure in one place (as i have room for 5 plants and this site will be a spot for one of them) the lack of nutrients in the old manure is my main concern.
The patch is at the top of a hill with good drainage. the depression lies at the back side, away from the hill.

11/20/2006 8:27:40 AM

San Jose garysand@pacbell.net

as a fairly newbie if you have the machinery I would mix native soil along with manure, if you could get 50% 50% native to old manure i think you will be OK , if you can get it mixed a bit this year, if you aren't frozen yet that would be best.

11/21/2006 7:55:12 PM

western PA

I figured that by placing the old manure in there a little every year, then plowing in the spring. That would mix it.

11/22/2006 8:34:50 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

low spot might still have drainage problems might think about a little sand with that mix.

11/22/2006 9:20:05 AM

western PA

good idea

11/22/2006 9:59:54 AM

Chuck has the right idea,,,but you may want to check and see what the subsoil is like in that depression.

In this area of past glacial activity there are what we call "clay pockets" meaning that almost everywhere our typical soil is sand/sandloam,,but occasionally there are areas that clay is at or near the surface.

If you find clay is the substrate in that depression then perhaps it would be worth a deep dig and addtion of OM at that point b4 filling the depression,,,,

11/22/2006 10:37:29 AM

western PA

Dug a big ass hole Thanksgiving morning. Loose cay at about a foot and a half. dug anouther hole in the good side and it was the same.

11/24/2006 8:25:38 AM

Minnesota

vader you are correct to heap it up somewhat higher than the rest of the patch. And yes the best is if you add some dirt in with it so its not all organic matter otherwise the hole will come back. Underneath your tilled soil is something that develops naturally and it called a hardpan. The only way you can raise the hardpan is to not let the tiller keep hitting it, so you need to make the soil level higher to raise the tiller up from the hardpan in that particular area. Hope this helps. Drainage will correct itself once you bring the hardpan back up level with rest of the garden bed.

11/26/2006 1:57:30 AM