This topic contains 2 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by charles 12 years, 5 months ago.
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Hi Alan,
I replied to this and then forgot to save it!
I noticed last winter that beans sown as you describe, with a mulch of (in my case) two inches home made compost, survived the winter well and did not grow too fast or soft. Also I covered a different sowing with two inches of cow manure and results were equally good.Manure and compost that are well decomposed, dark brown, stacked for 6 months or more in the case of animal manure, contain nutrients that are mostly insoluble in water, and available to plants only when conditions are correct for growth. This is in contrast to water soluble nutrients which can ‘flood’ roots and cause soft growth. Hence it is fine to spread well decomposed manure and compost at any time of year without fear of leaching, and spreading it in autumn is excellent soil food for hungry organisms such as worms which are looking for organic matter at this time of year.
Compost and manure are soil food as much as plant food. I find that garlic sown in October and covered with two inches cow manure grows huge bulbs by late June, then I also grow wonderful brassicas, beans, beetroot etc without any further addition of organic matter, or anything else. So the nutrients remain in composted manure (and compost) until plants need them.
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