Back to Eden Gardening

[ninnymary]

Bee, there is a woman who lives a few blocks away from me. Her good friends are my neighbors. She goes to the stables to exercise her friend's horses. She will deliver manure for free but appreciates anything from your garden. I always give her eggs. Monday as I was getting her eggs my oven timer went off and my banana bread was done. So she went home happy with eggs and hot from the oven banana bread.

Last night she brought me 5 gal buckets of manure. It is really broken down. I'm still short so she'll bring me more Sunday. I only top dressed everything. But I think I'll add some more.

The manager of our local nursery told me where they keep wood chips for their own use and said I could take some. Said there was compost too! I was planning on using straw but I do like the look of chips better. But that video you posted showing the number of worms comparing straw to chips was very telling. The straw had so many more worms.

Mary

 

[Beekissed]

I'd say, if you have a source for wood chips and you like them better, I'd just use them. Horse manure will bring you all the worms you will want!

Especially if you can't get hay but can only get straw...I'm not a fan of straw for composting or mulching. All the nutrition and energy of a piece of straw was in the seed head that was cut from it...the stem is just woody.

In hay, the nutrition is in the whole stalk and the seed heads, if any, are also bundled into the bale, along with its leaves. All that energy is still in the plant, waiting to be used in the soil.

 

[ninnymary]

The horse manure is almost compost! It’s never been like this before. I am so happy. I’m going to make a spinach mushroom quiche to give to the woman that brings it to me.

 

[ninnymary]

The chips that I got from our local nursery are much nicer than before. These are not big rough pieces.

 

[baymule]

I love it that we not only get excited over horse manure, but we admire pictures of horse manure! that's some darn purdy horse manure compost!

 

[Beekissed]

View attachment 25448 The horse manure is almost compost! It’s never been like this before. I am so happy. I’m going to make a spinach mushroom quiche to give to the woman that brings it to me.

View attachment 25449 The chips that I got from our local nursery are much nicer than before. These are not big rough pieces.

I love it that we not only get excited over horse manure, but we admire pictures of horse manure! that's some darn purdy horse manure compost!

Me too, Bay! When horse manure is a Mother's Day gift, you know you are garden obsessed. Some years back I found a manure source where all the manure looked a lot like Miss Mary's garden gold, so I hauled a load clear across the state to my mama and got another load for myself...all for MD gifts for her and me.

Even bent the axle on my trailer hauling that load, that's how heavy it was.

Miss Mary, that's about the prettiest horse manure I've ever seen!!!! I'd make her a pie too.

Those chips are so nice too...so sweetly chopped. I'm predicting you will have a wonderful garden this year with all of that going down.

 

[ninnymary]

Thank you Bee. My back is sore and I’m tired after that little work. Don’t think I’ll get up at 5 tomorrow to go to the gym.

Mary

 

[flowerbug]

happy veggies ye shall have! scores all around for everyone there. i like when the circle works...

 

[Nyboy]

I love it that we not only get excited over horse manure, but we admire pictures of horse manure! that's some darn purdy horse manure compost!

I was thinking the same

 

[Nyboy]

Mary you get up at 5am what time do you go to bed ?