I Have Just Enjoyed a Very Dirty Weekend…

...putting manure on the allotment

In the days when most families kept a milk cow or chickens, animal manure was commonly used as a garden fertilizer. But with changes in food production methods and the advent of artificial fertilizers, many gardeners stopped using it.

Fortunately, many organic growers have re-discovered the benefits of manure as a fertilizer, soil conditioner and compost ingredient.

The reason that manure is referred to as ‘black gold’ is that it is such a prime source of N-P-K which is the value given to fertilizers, whether they be man-made or organic. This doesn't stand for Nitrogen per Kilogram or Nice Plot Kisses, but refers to the content of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K), which are so beneficial to the health of plants. The N-P-K number is useful but, for example, chemical fertilizers will usually have a higher N-P-K rating, but don’t have the organic matter which natural manures contain.

Manure also contains a lot of humus, which is not a chickpea dip originating in the Middle East, but rather a bulky, fibrous material that comes from plant fibres and animal remains. Humus effectively supplies food for plants, preserves moisture in the soil in dry spells, gives good drainage in wet times and stores nitrogen in the soil.

So animal manure is a great way to improve the condition and nutrional value of the soil and as many organic gardeners say ‘Feed the soil, not the plant’

You can buy composted manure from garden centres and it can be used straight on your garden.  However, this is rather an expensive option, especially if you have an allotment or large vegetable patch.

My preference is to source fresh manure.But don't just go to your local farm or stables, get sack fulls of manure and put it straight onto your plot, or it could end up causing you a whole host of problems.

Things to consider include:

• Type of manure
• Time of year
• What crops you want to grow

The N-P-K numbers given below are given are just a guide as they are affected by type of bedding used, age and diet of the animal

Horse Manure: 0.7-0.3-0.6

This is a ‘hot manure’, which means that if you put it straight on your veg it will burn it.

It is not as rich as chicken manure, but obviously you get a lot more of it and it should be reasonably easy to get hold of from your local stables.

The best type of horse manure is from stables using straw bedding, but you can also use it if the animals have been on wood shavings.

Horse manure can contain a lot of weed seeds, which you can kill off by hot composting before putting it on your beds. You should also think about the stables you get it from; there are tales of allotments getting horse manure when the horses have been on a lot of medication, which has killed or damaged crops.

Cow (dairy) Manure: 0.6-0.2-0.5

It may be lower in nutrients, but is considered by many to be the best soil-builder option. It is an excellent source of humus. Some gardeners have said that it is a little wet for heavily clay based soils.

You will obviously need to contact your local farmer to see if they will spare you any of their cow manure.

Chicken Manure: 1.1-8.0-5.0

As you can see this is very rich in nutrients and is another ‘hot manure’. The quantities you get are likely to be a lot smaller, which makes it very useful as a compost activator.  The best source of chicken poo is your own flock, or a local free-range farm.

If you know any pigeon fanciers in your area, then you may want to speak to them about getting hold of some pigeon poo, which has been prized by gardeners since the middle ages, as it is also very rich in nutrients.

Sheep & Goat Manure: 0.7-0.3-0.9

This is another type of ‘hot manure' which will need to rot down before you can use it.  It has a higher nutrional value than horse or cow manure and is a little pleasanter to handle. The small pellets mean that it breaks down a lot quicker. As it is very dry, you may want to use the pellets in a liquid fertilizer.

You are likely to have to collect it yourself with the permission of the landowner. However, if they have sheep or goats inside for the winter or birthing, then you may be to get hold of bags of manure which will also contain urine soaked straw, which will give even higher nitrogen levels.

Pig Manure: 0.5-0.3-0.5

Is very stinky stuff, so your neighbours may not appreciate you using it!

It doesn't contain much organic matter, so either needs to be full of straw from the bedding, or just added in small quantities to your compost heap to rot down.

Rabbit Manure: 2.4-1.4-0.6

As you can see rabbit manure is high in nutrients, especially nitrogen, but again only available in small amounts, so best used as a compost activator.

Alpaca Manure: 1.5-0.2-1.1

The Auntie Allie manure of choice!

I am lucky enough to have a source of alpaca manure. It is not a ‘hot manure', so can be spread straight onto your plot without risk of ‘burning’ your crop and the alpacas 3 stomach digestive system means that it doesn't contain weed seeds. It is virtually odourless and alpacas tend to use one or two toilet spots, which makes it easy to collect.

It is lower in organic material than some other farm manures, but it is enough to still act as a soil improver and can even be made into a ‘tea’ which will really help your seedlings.

Manure not to use

Do not use the faeces of your dog, cat, or other meat-eating mammals as manure for your garden or in your compost heap, as it can contain harmful diseases.

As you can see from the above, most manure should be well-rotted before use. However, many gardeners still add 'hot manures' to empty beds in the autumn, as the elements will break it down over the winter months. Even then, I tend to use horse manure that has rotted down for a little while.

The question of which allotment crops need compost manure is very easy to answer –all of them! 

This is the manure that you have added to your main compost heap in balance with green and brown material. A compost needs to have been held at 130 degrees for at least 3 days to kill any pathogens and making it safe to use all year round. Or about 6 months to fully rot down.

In the Autumn I add rotted hot manure or alpaca droppings to the beds which are going to have the following crops the next year (there will be more, but these are the ones that I grow):

• Potatoes
• Beans
• Cabbages, brussels sprouts
• Squash and courgettes

I also make sure that my rhubarb, raspberries, gooseberry, and currant bushes have all had a feed of manure at the same time.

So that is the Auntie Allie Manual of Muck, which is based on a bit of research, combined with what I have found works over the last few years of being an allotment holder.

One final note, if you live near a zoo, then you can approach them to get hold of some very exotic manures and one elephant poo can probably do one whole bed…