pete75 wrote:Crew yard muck from cattle was the major source of fertiliser for the land before nitrates started being used a lot. A lot more of it came from bullocks than cows though.
Horse muck really needs composting to get the best results.
The colleague who gave me some of her horse manure just piles it up behind the barn. It has been composting in that manner for some years, but it did require a bit of digging to get to the best.
My other alternatives are composted cow manure, which I buy from a farm / garden centre, and compost from the council food waste collection.
I have my own compost pile, but it is too small to provide all of my needs for gardening. We also keep aquariums (tropical fish), and I water the garden with water from the aquariums, which is high in nitrates.
That said, it's been a poor year for my garden. My lettuces and cabbage family plants never came up, and several other things didn't come up at first planting, but did at second planting. They are, however, now quite late for the season. I'm blaming the weather. We had a cool period just after my first attempt at planting, and another after my second attempt.
My potatoes are the only things that are doing really well, though the sweet corn (maize) seems to be growing well.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom