Leaf compost with Horse manure ???

16 years ago

Hello all! Ok this what i did this past weenend. I had my leaf pile with only coffee grounds mixed in. It was cooking all winter until about a couple weeks ago. I was turning every couple weeks. Well the leaf compost was not REALLY breaking down so i thought I would add FRESH ( AND I mean fresh right out of the barn) horse manure to it. So I started a new pile, I put in some of my leaf compost then manure, leaf compost then manure. The manure has bedding with it too, it looks like wood shavings. So now do I need to add and any thing to this pile now? If I do what do i need to add? I do have the pile cover now because we just have very heavy down pours yesterday here in Chicago land. Its a big plie now about 5-7 yds or more. I will be having surgery Friday so i wont be able to turn for a month or so. What does do you think? Thanks Fespo

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Comments (11)

captaincompostal
16 years ago
If the final compost pile is mostly leaves and undigested wood shavings, and it seems to be breaking down too slow, you might want to add more "nitrogen materials" to the mixture to speed it up.

However horse manure is pretty good as a nitrogen source. If your pile gets too smelly, or ammonia smelling, back off the extra nitrogen. Keep the pile moisturized and aerated frequently and just wait.

Happy Gardening!
terrebonne
16 years ago
It'll be fine.

Hope all goes well with the surgery. Take care of yourself.
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west9491
16 years ago
that's the same compost approach i am going to take, if i can get some manure.......maybe, i'm going to have to take up the coffee drinkn habit for the sake of compost!!
paulns
16 years ago
Manure + bedding can make a good pile all by itself, if it's moist and has air mixed in. But leaves + manure - that makes de luxe compost. I would just leave it alone to work now. When you dig into it in a month you may find a bonus - red wigglers, aka manure worms - working in there too.
jbest123
16 years ago

Untitled

Fespo, most farm animals, most not all, are not taken care of like they use to be. When a farmer depended on pure horse power for his existence the stalls were cleaned and new bedding used every day including Sundays. About the only thing you can do right now is to wait 4 or 5 days and see if the pile is heating. I use a metal rod about 3 ft long stuck in the middle of the pile, after a couple of days if the rod feels warm but you can hold it indefinitely, then the temperature is between 98.6 and 150 Deg F. If the pile cools after a short time them all you have is browns and some micros running around looking for something to eat. If you are organic then you will have to add about an equal volume of greens, if you are not then you can add something like urea.

john
fespo
Original Author
16 years ago
Hello all, Well my pile was and is still cooking ( Ah i love that smell) but i not able to do anything with my arm for and few months. ;(. I went in for my surgey on my right arm to do what is called S.A.D, Thats where they clean and remove a very little of the bone in the joint of your shoulder, Dr said I would be not able to do any for a couple of weeks then back to normal. WELL not that easy they found a torn tendon in which they had to put in a metal plate into the bone and pull the tendon back and sew that up Plus a partial rotator cuff tear. So I dont know how much of all that good leaf and horse manure i will be able to use this year. Dr. says about a 4 to 6 month recover time. My wife and kids say this is going to be the be garden ever. There all going to help out alot they say. I went to 3 differnt Dr.s before I had this surgery done and none of them said any thing like i had.

Also why is the such a long time on the posting to be up to date. thanks Fespo
stoloniferous
16 years ago
Get well soon, Fespo!
annpat
16 years ago
Yes, speedy recovery.

Your pile is making my mouth water. You've got some good stuff. It may be weedy, so, if it is, you're probably going to want to mulch.
madmagic
16 years ago
Fespo, please look after yourself and don't take any risks with that arm. Now, I know you're keen to be out there and gardening soon, but there's no point to endangering your health permanently just for one season. They'll be many more years to enjoy the garden -- just rest and heal up for this one, okay?

In fact, it would probably be best for you to remove all temptation to turn your compost this spring. So, I'd strongly suggest you have your wife & kids pack up your entire compost pile and ship it all to me, at once. It's the least I can do to help you get better during this difficult time.

All the best,
-Patrick
fespo
Original Author
16 years ago
Hello all, Happy Easter! As I was checking my piles yesterday I noticed some white mushrooms growing. What does that mean? I know it means no harm. Are they a good sign? Thanks frespo
dottyinduncan
16 years ago
I did a veggie garden last year with just about the same components you have used. It grew mushrooms too. No problem though. I used a little bit of compost where I was going to plant and planted directly into it. The growth was amazing and I had a wonderful crop. Tomatoes, squash, corn, carrots, parsnips. Good luck with the shoulder and follow doc's orders. It sounds like you have great support from your family and they will do the heavy work while you pull the odd weed.

Leaf compost with Horse manure ???

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