options

[charles]

One reason for not spreading strawy manure now is slugs hiding and breeding underneath it. So the bed you covered already could be planted with, say, alliums which tolerate slugs. Also if there are some bits of the heap more rotted, you coud spread those now as soil food, even quite thinly, and leave the strawy parts in the heap. Covering will help it to rot more evenly as long as it is all moist, which I expect it is after recent rain.