cardboard compost and polythene? And worms in the compost.

[lizzyParticipant]

Hi I am just checking that I am doing this right. We are making new beds on the allotment with no wooden sides. We removed nettle suckers which are the main weed, and levelled off some very tussocky grass. Next thick cardboard; then about 2 inches of well rotted horse manure with hardly any bedding in it on top of the cardboard. I can’t decide if I should put black polythene over it all now. What is best? What will happen if I don’t put any polythene on top?
Also – do the worms in the compost just die once the compost goes onto the bed? Some of the manure was heaving with worms – hopefully this is not a sign that the manure was too ‘young’ ? I feel really mean if they just die !!
Thanks in advance for any advice.

[charlesModerator]

Lizzy polythene, it’s your choice and you probably don’t need it, unless say there are many perennial weeds like couch and buttercup.
Those “compost worms” die anyway after finishing their processing job. They arrive in the later stages of composting, or middle stage of manure decomposition. It sounds ok to me and all normal plus you are feeding birds.

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