Advice on where to spread manure on garden etc...

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Earlysville Earlysville, VA Jan 11, 2009

I am getting ready to spread horse manure that has sawdust in it in our vegetable garden. I have not seen the manure yet but believe that some of it has been in the pile for awhile. Most of where I will be spreading it has had vegetables grown there for two years now and one part the dirt was freshly turned up several days ago. We put some chicken/leave compost directly mixed in with the area seeds were planted two years ago but even at that it was not much. Other than this nothing has been put on the garden other than ground up leaves last winter. My questions are: 1. How thick should I spread it? 2. Are there any vegetables that I should keep this away from? 3. Should I till it in when I spread it on or later? I also want to do soil tests for pH and NPK, should I do this first or if later how long? Any other suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ed

Post #5993849
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Stephen_Albert Kenwood, CA Jan 12, 2009

It is important that the manure be aged (at least 6 months) or composted: otherwise you risk burning your plants with a soil mix too nitrogen rich. Spreading an inch of aged manure across the garden in autumn will allow the rain and weather to distribute it evenly into the soil over the winter (assuming you're not growing crops in winter). If you are going to apply the manure in spring--meaning you plan to plant in the next 6 to 8 weeks--then if would be best to fork or rake or lightly till it into the soil. You might want to grow crops that demand nitrogen in this area of the garden if there is not time for nature to incorporate the manure into the soil.

Post #5996918
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feldon30 Houston, TX(Zone 9a) Jan 16, 2009

I did not realize that horse manure needed a full 6 months to age. I thought it only needed to age about 3 months. I know that rabbit and sheep manure can be added directly. And I know poultry litter (chicken droppings) is VERY hot and requires 6+ months to age.

Post #6011785
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