Cow manure

[Gardening with Rabbits]

Is it safe to put 2-year-old cow manure around strawberries or grow lettuce or spinach right in it?

 

[flowerbug]

probably. but... what is the source?

well composted cow manure from a source that isn't using antibiotics is one thing and then there's cafo, highly congested and perhaps using antibiotics (supposed to not be using as much any more but who knows...).

if there's any question what i would do is use it underneath by trenching and then put a layer known quality soil over that and then disturb it as little as possible.

for the strawberries are you using it on existing plants or a new planting? for a new planting you won't get much of a crop (if any) this season anyways (usually i leave one berry per plant for new settings - just to make sure the berry is edible ). for an existing bed, hmm... goes back to source, if they've done a good job composting it and they're not using antibiotics or hormones then i'd use it.

 

[seedcorn]

Dairies do not use antibiotics as every days milk is tested for antibiotics, illegal feed additives, disease, pathogens, etc....

Drink milk and use dairy products with confidence.

 

[ducks4you]

Absolutely! 2yo manure is VERY WELL broken down and if you purchased it from a garden center I'm pretty sure it is safe. Chicken manure must be almost 9 months old to use safely, some say 6 months. Horse manure is usable in the garden at 4 months. These are statistics of piles that are not turned.
Btw, roses and azaleas and blueberries like their manure fresh.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

It is all organic. He sells beef. No hormones, no antibiotics, grass/alfalfa fed beef. No spraying, but I was meaning like getting E. coli or something because manure. I always put even fresh manure down in the fall and aged manure I never know how old for sure, so never put around leafy greens, but this is 2 years old. I just put some where I planted pole beans. I think for lettuce and stuff I will put dirt on top of it and not have it close to leaves and the strawberries are not new. I may just put the manure and put straw on top of the manure and straw on top. Not sure.

 

[ducks4you]

Maybe you should find a stable and switch to horse manure. Unless my horse gets ill, I don't give them any antibiotics.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

Absolutely! 2yo manure is VERY WELL broken down and if you purchased it from a garden center I'm pretty sure it is safe. Chicken manure must be almost 9 months old to use safely, some say 6 months. Horse manure is usable in the garden at 4 months. These are statistics of piles that are not turned.
Btw, roses and azaleas and blueberries like their manure fresh.

From a farm the sells beef and non-GMO, no hormones and all that. He said it is 2 years old and looks like it. I usually use compost around things and not manure, so hesitating. Not worried about it burning plants, just being safe.

 

[flowerbug]

It is all organic. He sells beef. No hormones, no antibiotics, grass/alfalfa fed beef. No spraying, but I was meaning like getting E. coli or something because manure. I always put even fresh manure down in the fall and aged manure I never know how old for sure, so never put around leafy greens, but this is 2 years old. I just put some where I planted pole beans. I think for lettuce and stuff I will put dirt on top of it and not have it close to leaves and the strawberries are not new. I may just put the manure and put straw on top of the manure and straw on top. Not sure.

all organic is a good step in the right direction. i'd use it. the e-coli you're worried about is from people not from herbivores... well composted cow manure is pretty safe IMO. 2yrs is what they recommend for human poo composted to be at the safe side of things. e-coli normally cannot survive outside the body for that long, it's just certain strains and conditions which give the few outliers a chance to propagate and infect. if you know that people are healthy i'd not have a problem using even well composted people poo. it's the hormones and drugs that people take which give me pause for using it from unknown sources...

 

[Nyboy]

As someone who buys manure I learned hard way they are not all equal. Make sure it is screened. One I could not believe how cheap someone on CL was selling it. After delivered it was half uncomposted stall cleanings you get what you pay for

 

[ducks4you]

As someone who buys manure I learned hard way they are not all equal. Make sure it is screened. One I could not believe how cheap someone on CL was selling it. After delivered it was half uncomposted stall cleanings you get what you pay for

I know we don't use our tillers much anymore, BUT, I till up 6-8 month old stall cleanings piled up and they break down into sweet smelling compost. If I EVER got into making money off of them I would probably till them up and cover and cook them to kill off any seeds, then dry out and sell. I give mine away now, or use them for my yard and DD's yard. If you pile them up the stall cleanings WILL break down. I should take a photo of some that I piled up about 15 months ago to show you what it looks like.
Just use some sweat equity and buy DIRECTLY from a stable next time, instead of the crazy CL people! I keep telling people, one horse/40 pounds of manure a day, and the 50 pound bags of sweet feed/supplements pile up at every stable's trash. They WANT somebody to haul these things away, and all you need to do is call and politely ask, set an appointment, and bring a new roll of duct tape. I fill my bags 3/4 full and they NEVER dump out. The plastic bags of purchased cow manure can rip and spill, but the plastic bags I am referring to will contain broken glass.