You wouldn't think that within the concrete canyons of NYC there would be readily available sources of horse manure (with the possible exception of City Hall and the multi-national corporate media broadcasters.)
But we do... The legendary Adam Purple and his ex-girlfriend/wife used to be seen in twin mopeds collecting horse manure from Central Park bridal paths and the area near the Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue where drivers collect tourist for horse drawn carriage rides in the park. The West Side Community Garden between 89th/90th Streets off of Amsterdam Avenue: (http://ps166.org/WSCG/) is adjacent to Claremont Stables which serves the Central Park Bridal Path. I have no doubt that the horticultural success of that garden has been in no small part due to the use of that manure. Hell's Kitchen in midtown Manhattan still has stables for the police, those Central Park carriages and theatrical horses. The horse who appears as Brunhilde's steed in Wagner's "Gotterdammerung" at the Met one night may be pulling a wedding carriage the next. While we depended heavily on that manure during the early days of the Clinton Community Garden, we selectively wheelbarrow it in the fall as an additive for our compost bins and to amend some of our vegetable beds. One late Fall, as we were seeding our lawn, some mounted cops rode by on the way to the stable. We waved them in, which delighted the kids in the garden and gave us some nitrogen for some particularly worn patches on our lawn. It's nice to have horses as part of your community garden family. Just follow prudent gardening practices in handling this "brown gold" Best wishes, Adam Honigman Volunteer, <A HREF="http://www.clintoncommunitygarden.org/";>Clinton Community Garden</A> << Subj: [cg] sawdust and bark chips for compost Date: 4/21/03 7:44:41 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (a.h.steely) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I realize that composting in the country is a lot different than city gardening but, the only time I really had any luck was when someone gave my now ex a goat that was a real brat. She was tied behind the trailer in a doghouse over the winter with about 2 foot deep sawdust (free for the hauling) for bedding. The area was a perimeter of 60 by 30 ft. The mobile home protected her from the winds. Her hooves turned up the sawdust and manure as well as the feed and hay over the winter. Untutored in letting the stuff set, I planted beet seeds and pumpkins immediately in the spring. Wow, the beets were about 3 inches in diameter and the pumpkins and other stuff really grew well! However, the smell did not bother anyone because we had about an acre between us and anyone else. The trick was the manure which provided the nitrogen. Everyone, including a local farmer told me that the sawdust would sour my ground. I have no idea what souring your ground means. Since I had a dog tied to the tongue of the trailer at various times during the day, the critters didn't eat all the tender plants before they came up. That is one difference between the country, suburbs and the city. My cats keep the suburban critters at bay, i.e., rabbits, squirrels and birds. In the city, I never saw critters stealing my seeds or small plants. Master Gardeners composting courses tell us not to use manure or meat scraps but that of course is where you would find nitrogen unless you have access to alfalfa hay or grow alfalfa and clover instead of grass. Best of luck in finding non smelly nitrogen in the city. Helen Steely Hbg., Pa. >> ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
