Re: Manure Management - encore
This message is from: "ruth bushnell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Those are very good tips Carol ! I might add that we built a greenhouse last spring, a real necessity here in the mountains, and used green manure for the first layer on the bottom, in the raised bins, before we added the top soil; which also had half horse manure, tho seasoned. The heat underneath from the green manure kept the bed soil warm and we had a bumper crop of tomatoes, winter squash, etc. I wish we could do that again this year but too much trouble to take it out and put it under... But my point is, just as the fresh manure can keep your water tanks somewhat warmer in the winter, it can also keep your growing beds warmer too. Wonderful stuff, that manure!! Ruthie > > Hi Everybody from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia --- > > I thought of something else I should mention regarding the way I garden with > manure. I described earlier how I plan the shape of a garden, then pile the > manure/sawdust on about a foot or more deep. It can be 2' deep. It doesn't > matter, and besides it will compress. > > What I want to tell you now is that you can use fresh manure to make this > huge, thick bed. Then when you're ready to plant bushes or perennials, all > you need to do is make a hole in the fresh manure, and dump in a bucket or > two (depending on the size of your plant) of well composted stuff, and then > plant in that. --- The roots of your plant won't be burned by the fresh > manure. -- > > There's one more hint - After piling on the fresh manure in your gracefully > shaped bed that you've made with the aid of a flexible hose outlining the > borders, the next thing to do is to apply a thick mulch to keep out the > weeds. Then decide where your plants will go, make your planting holes, and > fill them with the composted stuff as described above. > > Regards, Carol > > http://www.beaverdamfarm.com > Beaver Dam Farm Fjords II > R.R. 7 > Pomquet, Nova Scotia B2G 2L4 > Tel:(902) 386-2304 > Fax:(902) 386-2149 > Carole Rivoire, author of THE FJORDHORSE HANDBOOK, > only book in English on the Fjord breed, available from Beaver Dam Farm, > $36.95 US includes P&H > http://www.beaverdamfarm.com/book.htm
Re: Manure Management - encore
This message is from: "Arthur Rivoire" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Everybody from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia --- I thought of something else I should mention regarding the way I garden with manure. I described earlier how I plan the shape of a garden, then pile the manure/sawdust on about a foot or more deep. It can be 2' deep. It doesn't matter, and besides it will compress. What I want to tell you now is that you can use fresh manure to make this huge, thick bed. Then when you're ready to plant bushes or perennials, all you need to do is make a hole in the fresh manure, and dump in a bucket or two (depending on the size of your plant) of well composted stuff, and then plant in that. --- The roots of your plant won't be burned by the fresh manure. -- There's one more hint - After piling on the fresh manure in your gracefully shaped bed that you've made with the aid of a flexible hose outlining the borders, the next thing to do is to apply a thick mulch to keep out the weeds. Then decide where your plants will go, make your planting holes, and fill them with the composted stuff as described above. Regards, Carol http://www.beaverdamfarm.com Beaver Dam Farm Fjords II R.R. 7 Pomquet, Nova Scotia B2G 2L4 Tel:(902) 386-2304 Fax:(902) 386-2149 Carole Rivoire, author of THE FJORDHORSE HANDBOOK, only book in English on the Fjord breed, available from Beaver Dam Farm, $36.95 US includes P&H http://www.beaverdamfarm.com/book.htm
Manure Management
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I also have two horse on one acre and manure management is a delicate balance. I also have the world's worst soil so "amending" it with my free manure is a given. I have lived here for 12 years and now have many grown fruit trees and a crop of weeds that is unbelievable. Once a year, I have a tractor service come out to scrape my corrals and deposit it to the furthest trees. I have also bagged up the really good stuff and taken it to family members for their city gardens. Everyone loves free manure in the springtime. Not too fond of it in the summer though. Pamela Garofalo
Re: Manure Management
This message is from: "Arthur Rivoire" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm in Nova Scotia - We always have at least twenty Fjordhorses on the farm, with up to thirty-five in the warmer months. That's a whole lot of manure to manage, but it's no problem for us. We treasure every bit of it. * EVERYTHING GOES into our compost heap - Horse manure from the stables and paddocks - Used sawdust bedding - All kitchen scraps - I empty the vacuum cleaner bag on the pile - Absolutely everything bio-degradable goes on the pile - Even placentas. Here's how we manage manure at Beaver Dam Farm - * CREATE NEW BEDS for vegetables, perennials, and roses. I decide where a new bed should go, and then begin piling the manure where it will sit for a year or more before planting. This way I can pile the freshest manure, and not worry as I'm not planting right away. By the time I'm ready to plant I have the most wonderful "black gold" anybody could want to dig in. And the growing results are phenomenal. Guests to our farm can't believe it. Practically nothing around here is planted IN the ground. It's all on top in raised manure beds. I add no soil to these beds. Everything really grows well without any chemicals of any sort. * FERTILIZE EXISTING PLANTINGS in Spring & Fall. - Twice a year we shovel and dump huge amounts of manure around trees, bushes and roses. In the Fall, I load up our asparagus bed with about a foot of manure. Same for the rhubarb patch. The other raised vegetable beds get a super thick top dressing after harvesting and cleaning up stalks and such. * URINE SOAKED SAWDUST without droppings in it goes directly on our riding ring and is spread around. Our ring is fine gravel and the sawdust gives a softer footing. - We buy 3 - 4 tractor/trailer loads of sawdust a year. * ON THE TRAILS - We have some low spots on our driving trails where Arthur piles gravel to help the drainage. Over this goes a nice thick covering of sawdust/manure. Works really well. -- The manure mixed with sawdust can be used anywhere on our trails to good effect. * ICY BARNYARD & FOOTPATHS - In our Maritime climate, we have a lot of freezing and thawing which makes ice a serious problem for people and horses. --- We try to use the sawdust/manure to make slip-proof trails. This has to be done during the thaw perioids, just before the next freeze. If you get the timing just right, you can easily make a good safe alkway. --- The drawback is that it looks messy during winter. By Spring, however, it's no longer a problem as it all turns to a nice beige dust. * SELL IT TO "HORSELESS" GARDNERS - In my experience, sawdust/manure truly is "Black Gold". I can't imagine gardening without it. Two winters ago, I decided to create an extensive cottage garden around our "Charming Cottage" (rental house on the farm). First of all, I laid out the shape using a flexible garden hose. Then I got rid of old cardboard, newspapers, old flyers, etc., etc. by laying all this stuff inside my hose outline. I even used leftover sheets of gyprock having read that the gypsum will sweeten the soil. (Makes sense!!!)Next, I started filing up the space with sawdust/manure using the newest stuff on the bottom, and finishing with a good six inches of well rotted material. The whole pile ended up to be at least a foot high. The next Spring, I simply plugged in all my plantings, and by summer, the garden looked thoroughly established, and absolutely gorgeous. --- There was no digging at all, yet the sodded ground under the pile was now soft and fluffy and a perfect medium for long-rooted plants. --- I've been gardening like this for years, and it works!!! I've never had a failure or problem of any ind. --- Obviously, with all that manure, you don't need to fertilize at all. --- And one of the biggest benefits is that all that material is its own mulch that can and should be constantly renewed. --- The more you pile on top, the better drainage you have, and better fertility. It's definitely a win/win way to go. * ALMOST ORGANIC - The only chemicals that go into any of our gardens at any time would be the residue of the wormers we give the horses. I don't like that, and wish there was another way, but considering the mega-tons of compost we create, the amount of wormer that actually finds its way into our vegetable gardens is miniscule in the extremel. --- Other than the wormer residue, there's nothing else. -- We never use any fertilizers or pesticides anywhere on the farm, and we have absolutely no need of them. Everything thrives and is perfectly healthy. I figure that the plants are so healthy because of the growing medium that they're able to fight off any funguses or harmful insects that might be around. One last word on the subject . . . . * BALANCE IS THE KEY!
Re: Manure management
This message is from: "Mike May, Registrar NFHR" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> At 03:13 PM 2/22/2002 -0900, you wrote: BTW, flies don't seem to be a problem here in Alaska, and manure piles don't seem to produce flies. The biggest insect problem is the MOSQUITO! And if I remember my year in Alaska they were about the size of a hummingbird. Well it seemed that way anyway. I will take the flies any day! Mike === Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry Mike May, Executive Director & Registrar Voice 585-872-4114 FAX 585-787-0497 http://www.nfhr.com mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Manure management
This message is from: "Karen McCarthy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Original Message Follows From: "ruth bushnell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Turn that manure into gold ! =))) Folks here haul it away for their gardens free, but I'm sure in the larger centers you could sell it to landscaping concerns. Ruthie, NW MT Ruthie, when I lived in N. California, we sold well rotted manure, complete w/ zillions of red worms, for $25/yd., mostly to bio-dynamic & organic gardeners. I used it almost exclusively in my raised beds and that stuff was awesome! kmac _ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
Re: Manure management
This message is from: Jean Ernest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Turn that manure into gold ! =))) Folks here haul it away for their gardens >free, but I'm sure in the larger centers you could sell it to landscaping >concerns. Well, I didn't exactly sell the manure last year..Had the corrals scraped out, which hadn't been done for several years due to it always raining about the time I tried to line someone up to do it. But last September was dry and beautiful and I called a local realtor who had mentioned he wanted more manure to landscape his country estate..He arranged to get it loaded and hauled by dump truck, six dump truck loads of beautiful black "dirt'" which probably cost him $100 a load to have loaded and hauled..I paid nothing! He was happy tho, and I was delighted! This year, with a little tractor of my own, I think I can keep up with removing it from the corrals.. And plenty of neighbors like to come and get it for free..Maybe I'll bag up the composted stuff and sell it at the farmer's market! BTW, flies don't seem to be a problem here in Alaska, and manure piles don't seem to produce flies. The biggest insect problem is the MOSQUITO! Jean in Fairbanks, Alaska, +10 today and the sun has lot of warmth in it! Jean Ernest Fairbanks, Alaska mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Manure management
This message is from: Kathleen Spiegel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> That stuff is brown gold! Over the years I have landscaped two acres of rockpiles using it. I just move the rocks out to the perimeter of where I want a garden ( that leaves a hole because there is no dirt here) add manure-make sure it stays damp for the first season ( not sopping) turn it a couple of times then use it as a garden the next year. An add in the local paper might get you people who will haul it away for you. There is an increase in gardeners who are interested in organic or natural methods. The stuff in the pastures we break up with a harrow a couple of times a year. However, we are talking three or four horses on 15 acres so it only builds up around the mangers and waterers ( and the paths they use in the winter because they do not want to get their little feet wet.) Looks funny in the spring because you have these lush green lines crisscrossing the pastures. In this area - you could add tons to the acre and only marginally increase the fertility of the ground up rock that passes for soil. I take all of it they will give me. Used straw and moldy hay or bedding mixed with manure goes between the trees as mulch a foot or more deep. After a couple of years of doing this, a marginal layer of soil builds up that you can use for garden. I also scrounge leaves in the fall from town and haul them out by the truckload to go on top of everything ( looks nicer than straw).This management style may not do in areas with high rainfal or humidity and the cows across the street don't mind but your neighbors might object. Kathy in Southern Idaho
Re: Manure management
This message is from: "ruth bushnell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Turn that manure into gold ! =))) Folks here haul it away for their gardens free, but I'm sure in the larger centers you could sell it to landscaping concerns. Ruthie, NW MT > I pile it in a big pile and let it sit, turning it with the tractor now and > then. I have a large 5-6 foot high by 20 feet wide by 50-70 feet long pile > from cleaning all winter (lots of fun hauling when the tractor doesn't > work!), and let it sit. I would love to have a place to store it under to > keep it from leaching nutrients, but maybe next year. > It is too big to put a tarp over, but if you have a small pile you could > cover it. > I haul the more broken down stuff into the hay field and the composted stuff > onto the pasture if it is needed - if they aren't grazing on the pasture, I > figure it probably doesn't need much manure, and if they are grazing it, > then they are applying their own manure which can be raked or harrowed. > If you compost it long enough (in a pile that heats up some), then there > shouldn't be anything left that would be harmful. > Heather > >This message is from: "DT" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > >Has this topic been discussed? I have been reading up on this area and > >wondering what some of you do with all the manure that you have. I am > >especially interested in knowing what those of you who have the equivalent > >of 1-2 horses per acre do. Do you compost? If so how do you go about it and > >what do you do with the compost? I have heard that one shouldn't spread > >manure over horse pasture as it will reinfect the horse. However I thought > >if the pile had been decomposing anything in it that would reinfect a horse > >would be killed. Does anyone know? > > > >If this isn't the place to ask can someone point me in the direction of > >those I can ask? > > > >Deb > > > > > > > _ > MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: > http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
Re: Manure management
This message is from: "Stephen Nasby" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I pile it in a big pile and let it sit, turning it with the tractor now and then. I have a large 5-6 foot high by 20 feet wide by 50-70 feet long pile from cleaning all winter (lots of fun hauling when the tractor doesn't work!), and let it sit. I would love to have a place to store it under to keep it from leaching nutrients, but maybe next year. It is too big to put a tarp over, but if you have a small pile you could cover it. I haul the more broken down stuff into the hay field and the composted stuff onto the pasture if it is needed - if they aren't grazing on the pasture, I figure it probably doesn't need much manure, and if they are grazing it, then they are applying their own manure which can be raked or harrowed. If you compost it long enough (in a pile that heats up some), then there shouldn't be anything left that would be harmful. Heather This message is from: "DT" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Has this topic been discussed? I have been reading up on this area and wondering what some of you do with all the manure that you have. I am especially interested in knowing what those of you who have the equivalent of 1-2 horses per acre do. Do you compost? If so how do you go about it and what do you do with the compost? I have heard that one shouldn't spread manure over horse pasture as it will reinfect the horse. However I thought if the pile had been decomposing anything in it that would reinfect a horse would be killed. Does anyone know? If this isn't the place to ask can someone point me in the direction of those I can ask? Deb _ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
Manure management
This message is from: "DT" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Has this topic been discussed? I have been reading up on this area and wondering what some of you do with all the manure that you have. I am especially interested in knowing what those of you who have the equivalent of 1-2 horses per acre do. Do you compost? If so how do you go about it and what do you do with the compost? I have heard that one shouldn't spread manure over horse pasture as it will reinfect the horse. However I thought if the pile had been decomposing anything in it that would reinfect a horse would be killed. Does anyone know? If this isn't the place to ask can someone point me in the direction of those I can ask? Deb
