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Gardening

gavreid said:
Manure is often composted i.e. aged. It needs to be before use in the garden
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No it isn't - some composts get labelled manure, but manure has not been composted. Aging also means absolutely nothing - I can stack manure that is too dry to support the rotters for ages and it is still just dry manure after that time.

The other hassle is that many manures, that are claimed to be compost haven't been composted properly or completely.
 
The ideal is 'well rotted manure' which is what it tends to get advertised as by many stables, but whether or not it is indeed as described is often more doubtful. I'd like to use manure, but I'd probably compost it myself for a season or two before applying it. But I can't get it delivered here and I'm buggered if I'm sticking bags in the back of the car.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
The ideal is 'well rotted manure' which is what it tends to get advertised as by many stables, but whether or not it is indeed as described is often more doubtful. I'd like to use manure, but I'd probably compost it myself for a season or two before applying it. But I can't get it delivered here and I'm buggered if I'm sticking bags in the back of the car.
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The right "recipe" in the right conditions (lawn mowings help enormously in most cases), will produce actual compost in under two weeks.

Why would you not transport bags of manure in the car??????

Actual compost, depending on the water content, should be something like sedge peat (if dry) to a sticky, near-black sludge, if very wet.The only other thing would be sticks and bits of woody material - spread or dig them in, or return to the heap.

Is BAYH FYM not a thing with people here?
 
Yes - it is composted FYM - and your point is?

Most manures do not smell either.............................or at least only slightly. FRESH pig manure does generate quite a bit of ammonia, but that soon disipates.
 
Vinny said:
The right "recipe" in the right conditions (lawn mowings help enormously in most cases), will produce actual compost in under two weeks.

Why would you not transport bags of manure in the car??????
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The manure pile at our local stables stinks. You're surprised I wouldn't want that in my car?
 
Vinny said:
Yes - it is composted FYM - and your point is?

Most manures do not smell either.............................or at least only slightly. FRESH pig manure does generate quite a bit of ammonia, but that soon disipates.
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Would be grateful if you could come and explain that to the village next time i'm spreading chicken manure!
 
dweezil said:
Would be grateful if you could come and explain that to the village next time i'm spreading chicken manure!
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No gardener uses any manure in tons, certainly not at any one time. Stored outdoors before spreading?
It depends enormously on moisture content too. MANY times I have passed by as broiler units are cleared and there is no major smell as it is dry.

Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
The manure pile at our local stables stinks. You're surprised I wouldn't want that in my car?
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Same applies, although personally, I have always used plastic sacks.
 
The fields next to us have just been muck-spread, so we are sheltering indoors until the air clears!

I don't grow vegetables, mainly flowers and ornamental plants. This year has been interesting – I’ve probably had the best display of peonies from late March through to mid-June that I’ve experienced. The tree peonies – mainly varieties of suffruticosa – have had multiple blooms that generally lasted for about two weeks, and filled the first half of the season. The two varieties of lutea peonies I have are still relatively young, and I’m hoping that they will flower next year. The itoh peonies have grown into substantial bushes, bearing over 10 large blooms each, and will probably develop further over the next few years. Bartzella is the variety that is probably most impressive – large, beautiful yellow flowers that are lightly scented, but Morning Lilac runs it close!. The herbaceous peonies tend to be inexpensive supermarket varieties, but have been exceptional, laden with large and heavily scented flower heads. Perhaps there was just the right combination of rain and low temperature during autumn and winter to prepare them for this season.

It’s also turning out to be a good season for roses; the rambling roses (Paul’s Himalayan Musk and Albertine) have finished now but have been exceptional, filling the early morning air with a delicate scent. The first flush of flowering has just passed for the floribunda and hybrid teas, and there will probably be another wave, as long as I feed them.

The cottage garden is now coming into its main season – the foxgloves and early varieties of thalictrum have just gone over, but the Astrantia, Agastache and Verbascum are now in full flower, with the later thalictrums, hibiscus, helenium and rudbeckia still to come. I have made space for these plants by taking out lupins and delphiniums, as I like the late summer / early autumn season best.

Last year I recorded over 30 varieties of bee – this year, there seems to be much fewer bees both in number and variety – is anyone else seeing something similar? Also much reduced numbers of butterflies. I hope the ending of lockdowns is not having an adverse effect on insect life.
 
When I lived in Devon, I rented out 2 stables. 3 owners ago, my neighbour had 3 small ponies, mostly as grass-mowers, and I had most of their manure for the compost heap.
I have kept large numbers of poultry for around 40 years.
Quantities of manure that any gardener could use, properly stored, does not smell bad. Compost heaps do not smell unless you are doing something very seriously wrong, irrespective of what goes on it.

Industrial quantities of manure, incompletely composted, most especially if anaerobically stored,can certainly smell.

The local household green waste composting site is a few miles from me and I pass that a few times each week. If it is wet weather or they have just turned the windrows, it smells sour - not pleasant but not really vile or objectionable. Lord alone knows how many tons are composting there at any one time.
 
I do remember as a young lad going out to the street to gather up horse droppings from the drays or whatever. Probably with my father and for his allotment. Straight from the 'orse's arse has street cred, in my view ! ;)

For the 8 years we had pure-bred chooks here, their droppings were scraped up daily (by my wife) and eventually dug into the greenhouses' soil. Lubbly jubbly; tom's loved it.
 
Gosh, Al; I hope you're feeling fit, though that allotment will either improve your fitness or knacker you as there looks like a shed-load of work.! That's a nice patch and you've got a bargain, FIGuratively (and rhubarb to that :))
 
Vinny said:
No it isn't - some composts get labelled manure, but manure has not been composted. Aging also means absolutely nothing - I can stack manure that is too dry to support the rotters for ages and it is still just dry manure after that time.

The other hassle is that many manures, that are claimed to be compost haven't been composted properly or completely.
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Hi Vinny
If you don't mind me asking , Are you a farmer ? as you have a lot of knowledge on these things , I was so happy to have a big pile of poo but now i'm thinking oh sh-it :eek: :D
 
Good morning all. I Installed Honesty Plant seeds which produced a lovely big bush that flowered in the spring.

It has dropped these flowers and I've a number of distinctive disc- like seed pods.

Is there anything I need to do to it? Will it come back next year? :cool:
 
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