Every garden needs fertilizer and manure is perfect for an organic vegetable garden as it is natural and full of organic material. But you can’t just throw any manure on your garden and expect good results – different types of manure are best to use in different circumstances and must be applied in different ways.
So how do you know which one to use? Read on for the “poop” on manures and when to use them in your garden.
Manure is available from a wide range of animals – chickens, cows, horses and sheep are perhaps the most common. You can get manure from your local plant store and you might also be able to buy from your local farmers. It’s important to note that you should only use manures from animals that don’t eat meat so you wouldn’t want to use manure from pets like cats or dogs.
Cow manure is popular for the organic vegetable garden and is quite safe to use as long as it is from healthy cows, of course. The thing about cow manure is that it is low in nutrients but this can be a good thing as you can use it often without burning out your plants. If you live near a dairy farm, inquire about getting manure for your garden.
Chicken manure is becoming more and more popular and I have seen it for sale at my local garden center. It is much more rich in nutrients than cow manure. In fact, you shouldn’t apply it directly to your garden but compost it first or it can burn your plants.
Horse manure is about in between chicken and cow as far as nutrients go but it is still recommended that you throw it in the compost pile instead of applying it directly. The only problem with horse manure is that horses much on weeds and the manure can be full of weed seeds which you definitely don’t want in your garden – another good reason to compost it first.
Sheep manure is quite rich and, like the chicken manure, will burn your crops if you apply it directly.
When using manure in your organic vegetable garden, you should never use it fresh. When fresh, it can have a lot o nitrogen and can burn your plants roots. The best bet is to let it age, or throw it in with your compost and “hot” compost it. This will also help to kill any pathogens that might be in the manure.
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