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Manure...Good?

I have a 10'x10'x12" raised garden that I want to grow some of next year's plants in. The soil needs building up for sure. Drainage is poor. Now, where I live, manure is available in all types: dairy cow, steer, chicken, rabbit, goat, sheep, even alpaca! Anyway, I never see manure mentioned much here, at least not in the short time I've been learning from you guys. Is manure not used much? Should I use manure, at least in part, to build up my soil? Which type of manure? Besides manure, would peat be a good thing to add? At this point, I'm thinking top soil, heavy on the compost, and manure...maybe peat. I understand I will have to buy composted manure, or if I use fresh, to apply it to the top of the soil months in advance to break down. Looking for general advice. Thanks.
 
Manure is great! I just topped my 6 beds with Sheep manure, even chucked it in beds where some plants were overwintering and they are still doing fine.

What manure you should use is probably going to come down how long you've got between now and planting time. Chicken manure is good for a nitrogen boost, but it's considered "hot" and will burn plants, so needs time to break down in the soil.

I did read somewhere that rabbit manure was actually the best manure to use, its higher in nitrogen than chicken manure but not considered "hot" and can be applied directly.
 
Just makse sure it is fully composted to kill pathogens.
If it is too "green" it can burn as well, especially chicken manure as it's high in nitrogen.
 
Alpaca manure along with shredded leaves is a great amendment to soil in the Fall. Give it time to work it's wonder for 5 or so months.
 
I've read that using manure can increase harmful nematodes and other microorganisms in your soil. In the short term it works great but eventually it ruins your soil.
 
Also consider the NPK values of the various manures... Most all of them are higher in N than in P and K.

N will make them grow like crazy, but without the other two, they won't produce as much fruit, and can be more at risk for viruses and such. So if you do use manure use it wisely. I tilled a bunch of composted manure into the ground prior to planting, and the plants seemed to do really well.

this fall, I'm going to pack the composted manure around the plants really thickly to help protect the roots against freezing (we only have a few in Florida, which is still where my garden is) along with some hay the horses didn't eat (they are messy). The manure I will use is a combination of horse (the main ingredient, and well composted), rabbit (the second main ingredient, and not composted), and chicken (thoroughly composted).

Horse manure contains a lot of still viable seed. Horses don't chew well, and seed from their feed, and hay passes right through. With chicken, it will burn your plants pretty easily. Both of these need composted to help prevent these problems. Whereas the rabbit manure is milder (2,2,2 I think) and has no seeds... For those of you without a bunch of animals to poop in your gardens for you, consider buying composted cow manure from the local big box store. Its something like a dollar for 40lbs of it at Home depot.

Also, do not use manure from any animal that eats meat (dogs, cats, people, and other predators). From what I remember there is the risk of parasites, or bacteria transferring into or onto the plants that humans can ingest, and will make us sick.

Additionally, if you know of people in your area with horses, often and under the right circumstances, they will let you "muck" their stalls for them. Its a chore that must be done daily, and most barns hire help to take care of this particular chore.

If you don't know the owner, you might have a hard time getting them to let you in where their (and their borders) horses are. But its worth asking. They may want to help you the first time, or at least watch to make sure you don't do anything dumb.
 
From what I remember there is the risk of parasites, or bacteria transferring into or onto the plants that humans can ingest, and will make us sick.
I'd imagine bacteria shouldn't be a problem if it's composted. Anything that would hurt us wouldn't survive long enough without us.

Parasites are a theoretical problem though, as they can go dormant or leave eggs and such.
 
I'd imagine bacteria shouldn't be a problem if it's composted. Anything that would hurt us wouldn't survive long enough without us.

Parasites are a theoretical problem though, as they can go dormant or leave eggs and such.

E. Coli is a concern with some so I do not use any manure in my compost pile personally. Table scraps and yard trimmings are all I put in my compost bin.
 
I'd imagine bacteria shouldn't be a problem if it's composted. Anything that would hurt us wouldn't survive long enough without us.

Parasites are a theoretical problem though, as they can go dormant or leave eggs and such.

Actually many microbes can go into dormant state and survive long periods. Composting in theory will kill them. The question is also how well it's been composted.

Parasites are not just a theoretical issue. In theory they could all so be killed by composting. However parasites from predators have nasty ways of completing their life cycle by affecting a pray animal's brain. Toxoplasma from house cats has for a long time been implicated in causing pregnancy problems. New studies show it also causes changes in some people's brains that may lead to depression even schizophrenia. .livescience.com/7019-mind-control-parasites.html This just an example of one parasite. Not a risk I want to take.
 
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