Manure for the Garden

[bwallace23350]

What type of manure do you think is best for a vegetable garden? I have used horse, chicken, and am now this year am doing cow manure. I used horse when I was a beginner and did not know a lot about what I was doing. I grew some great gardens with chicken litter. This year I am going to try cow manure because well it is free and I don't have to drive but in the pasture behind the garden to get it.

[Dallasbeek]

Free is good.  Free and convenients is better

[Dallasbeek]

Seriously, it depends on how you use it.  Uncomposted, they can burn the plants and smell up the place.  Just compost whatever you are using.  I'll leave it to people who have used all of them to say which is better.

[BeeMaster2]

Raw horse manure burns plants. Cow and chicken do not.
As to chicken or cow, it depends on what type of soil you have.
Cow manure adds acid to the soil. In my case, my soil is very acidic. Adding cow manure makes it more acidic. You can add lime to correct.
Chicken manure is alkaline. In my case, it brings the soil closer to neutral.
Jim

[bwallace23350]

I have not composted any of the manure but it will not be planted on till April. Hmm I need to get another soil test done but last time I did it was 7.1

[jalentour]

I used "aged" black horse manure last year. 
There were a lot of seeds still active and my garden was tougher than usual to maintain.  I'd try something else next time. 
There are several manure threads on this site, lots of gardeners.
Good luck.

[Acebird]

Chicken manure is alkaline. In my case, it brings the soil closer to neutral.
Jim

Probably why it didn't burn if it was raw.
Horse manure will have a lot of active seeds unless it is composted hot enough to sterilize the seeds.  I would say cow manure is best because a cow is a vegetarian naturally but man screws that up.  I use nothing but chicken manure because I had it.  I was told when I was a young lad that chicken manure is best for vegetable that grow above, lettuce, cabbage, beans, tomatoes, cukes, squash and such.  Not so good for carrots, turnips, onions, garlic, potatoes, but I grew a lot of onions, garlic and potatoes and felt it did well.

[Acebird]

I used "aged" black horse manure last year. 
There were a lot of seeds still active and my garden was tougher than usual to maintain.

You are probably going to have this problem for years to come.  I don't know how big your garden is but if you let the weeds come up and just scrap the surface to kill them a couple of times before planting it should help out.  You can also use a torch and sterilize the surface before you plant.

[BeeMaster2]

I have not composted any of the manure but it will not be planted on till April. Hmm I need to get another soil test done but last time I did it was 7.1

I have not composted any of the manure but it will not be planted on till April. Hmm I need to get another soil test done but last time I did it was 7.1

At 7.1 PH, cow manure will work well.
Jim

[bwallace23350]

That was 8-9 years ago though that I have had a ph of 7.1

[BeeMaster2]

If you have not added lime or a lot of acidic materials, the soil has not changed. It is not easy to change soil chemistry. Here we have to add lime every couple of years to bring the soil up closer to neutral. It always goes back down to around 6.0 or less.
Jim

[Dallasbeek]

It's best to get a soil analysis through your state's Extension Service.  Contact your county agent for the soil test kit.  You'll tell them what you plan to grow and they'll tell you how to amend your soil to meet the needs of the plants.  Some plants are acid-loving and some prefer alkaline soils.  People insist on trying to grow plants that are not suited to their soil, but the amendments you put in ten years ago have leached down into the native soil.  In Dallas, we have black gumbo clay soil that's very alkaline.  Everybody wants to grow azaleas, which do beautifully 100 miles east of us.  It can be done,, but it takes work.

[Acebird]

If you have not added lime or a lot of acidic materials, the soil has not changed. It is not easy to change soil chemistry.

Rain is the culprit.  The north east suffers from acid rain being charged by the mid west emissions.  Must be a similar issue in your area Jim.

[BeeMaster2]

Brian,
If anything is changing it it would be the pine needles. But my buddy has to lime his open fields.
Jim

[Acebird]

Pine needles decompose very slowly and as you mentioned an open field doesn't have any pine trees.  It does get continual rain though.  In your area I would say quite a lot of rain.

[BeeMaster2]

Brian,
Most of our rain comes off of the Gulf of Mexico. We watch it build up over the Gulf and then rain down on us.
Jim

[Acebird]

https://www.ventusky.com/?p=29.50;-81.75;7&l=temperature-2m
Looks like it comes up the east coast as some part of the day.

[Kathyp]

Goat.  It's like magic.  I had used composted horse manure for years, but a couple of years ago I go two goats.  It doesn't need composting, doesn't burn, and stuff grows like crazy with it.  In fact, you have to be careful not to use it at the wrong times on things that don't want a lot of feeding. 

[Sertikk]

Ideally, the best manure for gardens is probably chicken, since it has a very high content of nitrogen, a need all plants have, but it must be composted well and aged to prevent burning plants. Chicken manure is a rich source of nutrients and is best applied in fall or spring after it has had a chance to compost. I have xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and it works best.

[Ben Framed]

Ideally, the best manure for gardens is probably chicken, since it has a very high content of nitrogen, a need all plants have, but it must be composted well and aged to prevent burning plants. Chicken manure is a rich source of nutrients and is best applied in fall or spring after it has had a chance to compost. I have xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and it works best.

Sertikk between Myself, and my friends Acebird, KathyP, Gww, and a few more, you can find all the manure that you might need in the coffeehouse!  lol.

But seriously; 'Please read the Bylaws' (about advertising). You can have a link on the footer of your signature, but do not talk about it 'if' you are getting any kind of income from it.
The bylaws tell you how to do this correctly.

Also: Please add your location in your profile.

Phillip