This topic contains 48 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by ocrowe 6 years ago.
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Mark
I don’t know if it’s feasible at your plot, but I tend to collect a big batch each early autumn (between now and end November). I then leave it to decompose for 12 months (my pile sits under two big trees next to a boundary hedge) and then I use it as mulch on top of beds for potatoes, allowing the worms to feed on it over the winter before planting the potatoes in spring.
I’ve also put ‘raw’ horse manure down as a mulch on asparagus and rhubarb/comfrey beds and I’ve never had a problem. Particularly with asparagus, the yields are much much better treating with horse manure than not treating at all – probably close to double.
I don’t know if you can afford to take this long before using your horse manure, but it may be the way to allow you to use this valuable resource effectively.
The stuff I get is literally just piled up in the car park of a stables and you go along with your car, fork/spade and bags to take it as and when you will.
This does seem to me to be relevant to the points I made on 9th June 2016 under Preparing the Ground>organic Standards, about certification and the value of it. I got no responses to that post but the issue it raises seems to me to cross check with this one. Finding compost that is free of antibiotics, aminopyralids, herbicides etc is pretty central to the no-dig method, it seems to me, but the key problem for me so far is getting stuff that isn’t hugely expensive (e.g. Organic Cow Compost from Earth Cycle – best bought in bulk bags) but is what it says on the tin: i.e. “organic” has to mean something precise, therefore we need precise standards such as the Soil Association etc, and although the cost of certification to the small producer is high, some such scheme is our only guarantee of defined quality. Of course “Biodynamic” or something similar could be used – but any term has to have precise meaning and that implies a scheme some kind, and some form of policing…. Too often these days “organic” is used to mean “not from artificially produced materials” and nothing more precise. What those materials were grown in, or might have had added to them, is anybody’s guess…. All credit to Plantmark for such a thorough investigation of the issue!
Yes Mark has done a thorough job, he is a one man research station. As you suggest, its a problem that does not go away and indeed, how organic is anything organic.
I think that no dig conserves soil carbon so in the end, after building fertility for veg, one can use less. That is my aim and to increase the quality too, with less bought in.Hello Mark,
After discovering im in a very similar position as you. As in Nov/Dec 2017 ive spread a surface mulch about 4-5inch all over my two 60M2 poly-tunnels. Spinich and mixed mustard greens and spring onions planted in Sept2017 had been growing along not to bad. Although with hindsight the spinich was much more wrinkly then should be i just put that down to the extreme cold winter we have had. But as soon as potatos and peas sown in late Jan2018 started to come up i realized something was wrong. Peas worse then the worse in your previous photos and potatos that had no normal leafs only what looked like spring time fern leafs. So for the last week i have been moving this 5tons of AP contaminated manure from my tunnels. The first bed i cleared i broadforked and raked before soaking with water hoping to get the results Dow recommend for the soil mircro organisums to do there work. But after a comment from Charles im thinking of not broad forking and just removing as much as possible by hand. On the 2nd bed ive went so far as to use a floor brush to get any physical trace off. Only 8 more beds to go and i can start on the outdoor beds followed by herb beds and 40-50 fruit trees. But i was wondering as you have had this problem since spring 2016 could you post a comment on how you think things are going this year Spring2018 like can you grow sensitive crops like tomato, potato and peas. It would really help to keep me motivated in this task of removing 5tonnes. Because some forums and internet reports say people are still having trouble after 5 years but they dont say if they are no dig or more details on there situation. Your story is the one i found witch i feel i can relate to.
Great work on all your research.
Hi All,
I’m sure I have mentioned this point previously.
Firstly I should mention that I am based in Ireland.
I use Horse Manure and my own Garden Compost and fortunately have not experienced the horrific experiences of some of you here.
I buy my Horse Manure only from Racing or professional Showjumping Stables. These Stables are of necessity much more aware and informed about what substances their animals come into contact with. (That is not to suggest that farmers etc do not take care of their animals.) Rigorous internal and also independent external veterinary testing is carried out on an ongoing basis on bedding materials, food and grazing areas.
I would therefore recommend only purchasing from these equine organisations.
Don.Mark your gardening and recording are so helpful, great advice on aminopyralid too.
Yes the photos need sizing to say 1MB which is easily enough, sadly the link does not work for me.Ah sorry Mark I had not noticed and shall check
Hi All
Thanks everyone for the comments. Mark that is great news for your garden. And it gives me so much hope and motivation. i came in for a coffee this afternoon and seen your post. I didn’t even mark coffee i went straight back out and removed the contaminated manure from my fruit trees. After spending all morning removing it from the tunnels. I have used the broad fork on two beds, not turning any soil just air holes. But for the rest i will just do some more sweeping. I have a tonne of green manure but im not happy to use it yet. Ive only done the pea tests on this batch so i will have to wait. Hate to leave the soil uncovered for so long but it will be just in time for tomatoes. Im in the north of France so im a little ahead of you guys. I will have photos and update coming over the next few days. Thanks again.
Since seen your reply im starting to feel a bit more positive about the whole thing.Most of the AP manure has been now removed. Tunnels sweep clean and slowly getting through it outside. Its easier on dry days to see whats manure and whats soil. I have several experiments underway and will keep the findings undated here. I haven’t been able to find a source of organic manure or compost to cover the beds so im using fabric on some and old half bags of all different kinds of potting mixes on others. I hope to make 1m3 of compost (fresh size) per week from now till the end of the summer. So im using 1 square bail of organic hay pluss grass from the garden at the moment. I have 200m2 of Alfalfa sown so will use this as green material from July on wards. Im very worried about composting anything from my garden now. Like fruit trees in the lawn have been mulched with AP all winter so im leaving about 1-2m of grass around these trees as to not reintroduce the AP to my new composts. Its very had not to be paranoid about the whole thing im walking around looking at leaf damage to weeds around anywhere the AP manure was.
Peas grown in green waste in the same row as AP manure. I dont know why there was 2m of green waste there but it really helped id the problem.
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