Hit the Dirt; Using Manure Properly

Good morning. This is David Weigel for hit the dirt Today I'd like to talk about the proper use of manure in our organic gardening efforts. I think most of us realize that different types of Minu are very rich sources of nutrients for both our flower or vegetable gardens but I think many people are unaware of certain constraints that should be adhered to as we're using Manoora for adding nutrients to the soil. And the first thing that I recommend is composting the manure well before it's applied to the soil to begin with. And this is done usually by piling them in newer and often adding other amendments to the manure piles as rotting such as straw to increase the breathability of the pile and turning the pile frequently is very important if we want air which is essential for any composting to occur to reach the entire surface area of the manure as it breaks down and proper handling of the manure is also very important. And one thing many people don't

realize when they're working with freshman newer is that most of the animals that were getting them in they were from are infected with parasites worms of some type and therefore getting manure from horses or cows in particular that that these are also parasites that humans are very susceptible to so we should practice very good hygiene when when using when contacting them new or in any way make sure that we don't contact it directly with their skin if at all possible. And the other point that that brings up is that many people like to use fresh manure to spread on their fields or their gardens and let it break down while it's in the soil. And I don't particularly recommend this method but if you do decide to use fresh Manoo or to prepare your soil and let it break down over the winter or apply it early in the spring and give it a chance. It's very important too. Use it somewhat sparingly the

recommended rate is somewhere around a half a cubic yard per thousand square feet of area. And if we exceed that then we risk the contamination of groundwater and that's seems to me to be the antithesis of our organic gardening efforts we're trying to work in harmony with the land and by actually creating a possible source of pollution we're not really going with the nature of what we're trying to do at all. And the other thing that I've heard repeatedly is that use of fresh manure in particular on sloping land is not a very good idea especially land that slopes towards any type of freshwater. I have heard it said many times that a cow manure in particular is a one of the biggest causes of Lake Bloom the phosphorous that's in the Manoora runs directly into the lake and causes all kinds of nasty green stuff to grow on the surface so it's something we want to be very conscious of of working around fresh water at all.

And if you talk to different farmers or gardeners they'll all have their own preference as far as which type of manure works best I've always been a big fan of composted cow manure in the vent in my ornamental gardening efforts. I find it is very well balanced it has a nitrogen phosphorus potassium content usually of 1 1 1 which is very beneficial if it's long lasting it provides lots of organic matter for the plants. And it's also very useful in vegetable gardening efforts with a lot of people prefer horse manure in their vegetable gardens and if we want to use that instead it's also very important to remember to compost it thoroughly first and. Even if we do compost the manure very well it's important as we pick our fresh vegetables to wash them very thoroughly before we them root crops in particular. Children love to go out and take a fresh carrot from the garden and many times they'll just

start chewing on it without washing it thoroughly at all and it's very important if we want to control the risk of parasite exposure to wash our vegetables very very thoroughly before we them. And regardless of any risk factors organic gardening efforts are a much more sustainable and long acting than the saw of all salt fertilizers of the chemical industry which has been trying to push on us for generations and until later this is Dave Weigel for at the dirt.