We used to have horses, I don't mean to butt in but isn't an abundance of alfalfa too rich? They will founder )horse version of gout) They can get stones in their gut too.They need oats and hay. Maybe you've had them many years but I've always heard that and if you are new to horses and don't know I feel compeled to tell you.As far as the poo it will need composted if you are planning to plant soon. If not the salts and nitrogen abundance will kill your plants.

It's me again. I didn't mean no alfalfa. But limited amounts are fine. And again not to be rude. Our family had horses for many years and we've had them founder on too much grass in the spring and I'm very sure the alfalfa is too rich to feed that often.

How much manure to add to soil at any time depends on what that soil needs. Animal manures would be part of the total amount of organic matter to be added to soil and that should bring the humus level (residual organic matter) to between 6 and 10 percent.

Please define "aged manure", if it is black gritty soil, then it is composted on its on. If it is in clumped manure form, then you need to compost it.
I have raised tomatoes in pure hog compost& sand, that was one year old. The only tomatoes that did better was some I planted in a hay,sand,cow manure compost mixture.
Both of these were make by the animals walking them in to the sandy pin. Once the animal were removed, the mixture set for 6 month to a year then I planted the plants.
I was 13 when I grew in the old hog pin & 16 when I grew in the cow feeding lot. Later on I read Robert Rodale's "Organic Gardening" & learned why the wild gardens worked so well.

The manure is pulverized, dry but still somewhat green. It was a little too dry this winter to be a hot pile but it is about 4 months old, maybe older.
For Poaky, I've raised horses for forty years and have a degree in it. Have raised many world and national champions, never, knock wood, had one founder. Alfalfa is the most readily available hay in the area, I live next to a town called " The Alfalfa Capitol of the Country" so it's pretty much my best choice in feeds, plus it helps prevent ulcers in my ulcer prone TB.
Kimmsr, I will be purchasing all other materials in bags from the box store. So, any good tips for a calculation to get to the 6-10%, using the horse manure as my start, since it's my only freebie? Trying to dig in my rocks would be impossible so dirt will have to come from HD in bags.
I'm doing two, 4x12 beds.

I am glad you haven't had any problems, it must work for you. We've had them founder on rich grass here in Pa, and had to put a gate to seperate part of the pasture, so go figure.I thought it was worth mentioning, but after 40 years you surely know what you're doing. We had them 30 some years, so you have me beat.

Poky, there is a lot more sugar in rich grass than in alfalfa so that's probably why you've had founder. Also, I have TBs and TB crosses and they can eat a ton of food without foundering. Unfortunately, that means they also need a ton of food!
Used to have a vet who raised race horses and is world known for reproduction, she said her secret to getting horses pregnant was feeding them all the alfalfa they can eat.
Now, the hard part is getting that poop across town without a front loader and a big truck. The place where I keep my manure I can't even back my pickup into and the pickup has a big RV 5th wheel hitch so doesn't do much good. Will probably be hauling about 50 rubbermaid containers across town. One step at a time. By the time I get my gardens filled the manure will be very, very aged!

Hey guys! Can you stop arguing about horse feed and answer the question already? I just acquired a bunch of composted horse manure for my new raised beds and I need the answer STAT. What is the correct proportion of composted manure to soil? Thanks.

What type of soil? Clay? Sand? Loam? High ratio of organic matter? Soil that has been amended or fertilized already? How deep are the beds? Is the soil under the beds worked also? What type of plants will be put in there?

If it's clay soil, with little organic matter, then it can handle quite a bit. If its store bought soil that has already been amended with something like composted poultry manure, then I would add a lot less, if any at all.

jen, there is no way anyone could answer your question with any degree of intelligence without looking closely at the soil you have and the manure you want to add. The "correct" proportion will depend on what the soil needs to be a good healthy soil and what that manure is like. Some "composted manures would have little to no affect since they were not stored properly and all the nutrients have leached out while other, properly stored manures will have good nutrient values.

kimmq is kimmsr

It is true that seeing the ground & compost would be helpful.I would say no more then 50% of the top 8-12 inches of soil should be replaced by cutting in the compost.That would be 6-8 inches of compost tilled in to the soil.

This will double your top layer of soil. cutting/tilling the compost in will help it to break down & build up the soil.

I know the new fade is to do as little work or sweating as possible, but cutting the compost in get quick or faster break down to usable parts

If you have layered compost on abed 3 times a year for five years, then after 15 layers you could just spread a few inches over the beds.

If not then I would cut them in for a jump start.

I planted seeds in a 8 inch layer of compost once & got a great garden.

Other then weeds I had no problem at all.

Re: purchasing dirt. You already have dirt, no? Just concentrate on making your existing dirt better. You've got manure, add compost and till it all into your existing soil.

Just reading this again, the answer is so simple, the OP is in a dry area and won't ever have a bunch of rich grass for the horses to ever founder on, hence the need for Alfalfa. Yes, I should've realized that in the start. Anyhoo, those who haven't made enough compost, (like me) will have to buy, "garden soil" at the big box stores. I had mature compost, but, I could'nt make enough for my needs. To the OP hope your garden is doing fine. Poaky1

When a soil needs organic matter why would anyone buy something called "garden soil" which would simply be more of the mineral part of soil?

Animal manures put into the garden should be one part of the organic matter that goes in and there should be about 3 parts vegetative waste to 1 part manure. What the gardener wants to achieve is about 6 to 8 percent organic matter. How much manure that works out to depends on what is in the soil before the manure is added and what goes into the soil with the manure.

kimmq is kimmsr

For a number of years I transplanted into soil beds which had just been covered with about 8 inches of moderately fresh manure (horse or cow). I was improving soil by introducing the manure, and did not have a ready source of much plant debris. I was putting down about 8 tons of manure a week, and found that the transplants thrived in the straight manure beds. The plants obviously enjoyed the rich environment. Even by the later part of the season the soil was much more mellow, and became very porous and workable.

I was more conservative than the organic certification guidelines about wait periods between application of manure and harvest of crops. Since I was amending acres of land, I could choose crops that were suitable for the manure beds, and put crops which I didn't want to get the manure exposure on areas treated in previous years.

While it may be nice to add plant debris to animal manures when making compost, it is certainly not necessary. Animal manures will compost well on their own; adding some plant debris may help to capture some N that may otherwise be lost, but the final product of manure-only composting is quite good.

These days, I generally do not bring in manure for soil for two reasons: I no longer need the external input, and unfortunately, many of the manure streams near me are contaminated with persistent herbicides. I've tested a beautiful, huge set of piles of llama manure just a couple miles from me which has aged for over 7 years now. It had easily detectable, damaging herbicides still in it. A small commercial grower had used some in their fields, and they lost the crops in that area. For now, if I import organic materials, it will be readily available yard waste, municipal compost and wood chips.

Renais

I suppose I should do a soil test. My raised beds are about 15 inches deep and I'm filling them from scratch. I believe the existing soil in the area is mostly sandy DG. I have attempted to grow vegetables for the past 2 years in the area, mostly corn, zucchini, pumpkins, broccoli, beans etc. and they did ok until gophers & squirrels demolished everything, so I was hoping that a raised bed plus a fence might discourage the pests a little. Anyway, I guess I'll just start off with the manure on the bottom & local soil on the top & see what happens... Since I'm getting a late start this season, I'm not expecting to produce much, but our mild Southern California climate at least gives us a long growing season, so I'll just keep plugging away at it & see what happens. Thanks for the tips.

I'm probably going to feel stupid with the answer lol, but what's DG?

One woman who posts often on the Veggie forum also has a problem fending off gophers. They have to line the bottoms of their beds with hardware cloth. They find that it works well.

Since your native soil is sandy, I would blend the manure with the soil throughout the beds. The manure will help the sand to retain both moisture, and nutrients. If, during composting, the manure was stored out in the elements, I would also add some fertilizer. What you use will depend on your style and philosophy of gardening, but un-ammended sand usually lacks nutrients. This late in the season, I would consider adding both a slow release, and supplementing for a while with water soluble ferts.

If the manure was protected during composting you might be fine, perhaps watch and see if the plants need small additions of N.

Thanks... DG is decomposed granite.

Staple chicken fence to the bottom of your raised beds for gophers!

NO! (sorry for yelling!) chicken wire will break down in a couple of years. Do you really want to dig out all that dirt and start over? Besides, gophers and voles can squeeze through chicken wire with ease!

Use hardware cloth which is a much thicker wire and only 1/2x1" or so (maybe smaller).

I've had some of my beds for 15 years, and the only time the gophers have made their way in was cause we accidentally broke through with a shovel. We were able to dig out the affected area and repair it with baling wire. Nancy

We've already lined the beds with 1/2 inch wire. Thanks for the warning.

Kimmq, I should've explained more, I am making my beds into slightly raised beds. I only had enough compost to put a inch (if that) layer onto the beds. I don't have a source for more animal poop with bedding. I buy bunny poo with no bedding to make bunny poo tea for my plants. I am talking about the stuff in bags that is leaf compost with wood fines and well, basically compost you add to your soil inground. I am using containers for plants (veggies) this year with potting soil, my beds are getting the year off this year while I try to build them up with OM and if needed add some topsoil (mineral soil) if needed also to get them built up right. I would like to use some DG to mix in a small bit, but, it isn't available here, I've checked the big box stores where the cement squares for patios are, (where I would THINK they would be. Just because I may eventually be using too much OM if I get going with it and have a source. I'm thinking fall leaves, wood fines (hardwood), peat moss (I already have the stuff, a big bale) plus garden soil in bags if I need to supplement. There are some farms here, I know one I hope still has horses. Well, that's my explanation kimmq. Poaky1