Just broke ground on a fallow field of weed trash, now should I fertilize?

[thistlebloom]

Please, would I EVER insult you? No, not me. You must have me mixed up with @thistlebloom

 

[Smart Red]

Thistleseed? Cornbloom?
Certainly someone has folks mixed up.
North Texas? North Idaho?
Seems like even the Southerners are mixed-up.
I know I am here in South-est, central-est Wisconsin.

 

[Smart Red]

Rain! Just starting to fall. We need it. I hope the stormy weather stays away while the rain continues to come down.

 

[258 Pots]

Here is my future berry patch, I plan on grinding all that in...

 

[258 Pots]

Smart Red, I came from Omro, and lived in Theresa, Milwaukee, Milton and Wausau. I know Wisconsin well and don't miss the cold at all...

 

[MontyJ]

Just a quick note...composting for 2 years and sitting around for two years are two different things. If the horse manure is from stalls, as in from a stable, there will be enormous amounts of bedding material and little actual manure. This type of material requires a very active composting approach because there is simply too much carbon for the amount of Nitrogen present. Additional N must be provided regularly. In fact, if it's been sitting for two years, the manure will already have broken down, leaving only the bedding. When I get home tonight I'll post some pics of my horse "manure" adventure.

 

[Smart Red]

Milton is not too far from south-est, central-est Wisconsin. Have you checked out the thread called Members pin your location yet?

I agree, I probably wouldn't miss the cold -- getting older and feeling it more every year. However, I would miss the Grands. All of them live in Wisconsin and if I can't take them with me, I 'taint going.

 

[canesisters]

I still say go for it. You will have one WEEDY looking garden the first year - but - GARDEN ON!
You MIGHT have a weedy looking garden the second year too.
But eventually, you'll get to the point that the first garden isn't enough work and you'll be looking for somewhere else to start 'just a small plot'.

 

[Lavender2]

With a new plot that size I might consider planting half or part of it and working on improving the soil in the other part, depending on your soil test.

It may be better to use a weed burrier (newspaper, cardboard) and use the bedding/manure for mulch. It seems like a big task for a large bed, but it beats trying to keep up with the weeding, and also helps retain moisture and builds the soil over time.

I have used newspaper and leaf mulch for many years, using a rather thin layer of mulch if we will be tilling the next Spring.

 

[MontyJ]

Back in 2006 I was foolish enough to have 20 yards of horse "manure" from a stable delivered. This was 1 year old stuff that had been sitting in a massive pile. It was delivered for free by my BIL.

After scrounging grass clippings from everywhere I could, I started making windrows. These were 20 feet long, 4 feet high and 5 feet wide. I ended up with 11 of them. Unfortunately, the grass I mixed in was quickly consumed by the composting process. I had to resort to dumping grass on each windrow and mixing it by hand with a garden fork and wetting it with a hose. What started out as a one year project ran into two years of back breaking work. In the end I used 20 yards of "manure" and nearly 100 yards of grass clippings. I ended up with about 30 yards of finished compost.

Like I said earlier, if it's not composted, beware!