Compost is expensive. Usually mulch is much less expensive. I always suggest just dusting it on and covering with mulch if you want depth. 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet is good for the lawn...and everywhere else.

It is all really up to you.

As to the weeds, I would at least cut the seed heads off and dispose of them or you will likely be growing them again next season. If you know they are annual weeds the burying them in the compost might be ok as long as you get rid of the seeds. If they are perenial weeds then you want to pull them or you will only be making them stronger by feeding them compost.

You will have to decide if you want to try and spread a thin layer everywhere or if you have special areas that need more. Perhaps you could spread this current load everywhere and add extra organic matter (leaves, coffee ground, etc) where your garden needs it the most. Or if some parts of your garden are in really, really good shape then maybe they don't get any compost and only get mulch this season.

It is hard for an outsider to know what your dirt needs from this side of the computer screen.

Good luck.

The most common limiting nutrient in a garden is Nitrogen (N) so we will base the calculations on the available N. Compost is good because it provides many of the other nutrients including micro-nutrients. Single source compost such as cow manure may not provide the same spectrum of nutrients as compost made from garden and household organics. Anyway, let the fun begin, let's calculate for N.

Assuming you have good compost, not too wet, the weight should be around 800 lbs. per yard

5 x 800 = 4,000 lbs. of compost

Assuming an N-P-K value of 1-0.5-0.5, there is 1 lb. of N for every 100 lbs. of compost, or

4,000 / 100 = 40 lbs. of N

Since N is only available in the Dry Matter (DM), we need to know the % of water. Assuming a good compost of 30% moisture content, we have 70% DM, and now you only have

40 * 0.70DM = 28 lbs. N

Now comes an interesting issue - nutrient release rate. Compost as a fertilizer is a slow release fertilizer. Assuming a 25% release over a year, the amount of N available annually is

28 * 0.25 = 7 lbs. N

Your 5 yards applied 1" deep will cover 1,600 square feet or you can apply it 1.6" deep over 1,000 square feet.

What to do? What to do?

Most sources will say that you need 4-6 lbs. of N per 1,000 square feet per year for healthy plant growth.

Based on that requirement, your 5 yards (7 lbs. per year N) will cover 1,150 - 1,750 square feet depending on how thick you apply it.

Now as you can see, there are a lot of assumptions made. Not as many as there are for calculating Global Warming, but enough. So if you can get good answers from the compost supplier to these assumptions, you can refine the calculations and get a better idea of how far the 5 yards will go. I suspect that you have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting any answers from the compost supplier.

There is also the issue of N loss. More is lost when compost is left on the surface and not incorporated into the soil. So subtract that from what is used annually will give you how much is left for the subsequent years and how much to add next year.

Thanks to all for the input. I have a much better idea of what I need to do today.

dchall...the composted cow manure I bought was $35. a yd. I suppose that is expensive but bark mulch is around the same price on average. You can sometimes find it for $30. yd.

tclynx...thanks for that advice about the weeds...I was thinking along the same line, just hoping someone would tell me I didn't have to weed, I guess. [g] Yes, I do have some areas that are better than others, so I will concentrate on those that aren't.

cowgirl...yes, I was figuring the composted cow manure was not as great as garden compost. If the micro nutrients are an issue of not as much in the cow manure, would it help to use more seaweed/fish emulsion on the garden next year to make up for that? The closest supplier of organic compost was an hour and a half away. They would have delivered for a $200. delivery charge. :-) Actually the person making the composted cow manure just had his compost tested, but the results are not back in yet. I imagine if I call him back later he will be able to tell me the results. He was also very forthcoming with answers to questions when I talked to him.

There seems to be a difference of opinion on the coverage here....
dchall's ....1yd for 1,000 sq ft would mean my 5yds would cover 5,000sq ft. Using that calculation I could do my back lawn and all of my beds and borders. I have a 1/4 acre property and not planning on using any compost in the front this time around.

But cowgirl is saying no...it is only going to be effective as a fertilizer if I spread it over 1100-1800 sq ft. Am I trying to use it as a fertilizer or as a soil conditioner? Isn't this composted manure going to have more beneficial results than just adding fertility to the soil? Am I to understand that this compost will continue to release nitrogen for the next 4 years?

If I were to attempt to cover let's say 1700 sq ft...my borders on average are about 10 ft deep and my back lot line is about 100ft. So I could do every sq inch of that back border and if I spread it thinner..I could probably make it around two more side borders that were each 35ft long. My problem often is that I am heavy handed and when I see a thin layer, it just 'looks' so inadequate to make a difference.

Well..this has been eye opening...lol. I can see that I need to be spending more time in the Soil forum. [g] There is a whole lot more to know then I realized.

Thank you all... :-) pm2

The best place for manure, "composted" or not, unless you know it has really been composted is in your compost pile, not applied directly to your soil. Since there are no established criteria for what can be labeled "composted" manure there is no real way for you to know what has been done. Has this manure been composted in a way that raised the temperatures high enough to kill off the disease pathogens that are present in all manure and that are a major problem today? Are you going to till that "composted" manure in quickly after you spread it? How much vegetative waste is in the soil to offest this large volume of manure you are going to apply?

Hi Kim...this is manure I purchased from a reputable company who was recommended to me by at least three people whose judgment I trust. I asked questions and this has been managed piles that have been heated to the correct temperatures and is at least a year/year and a half that it has been being composted.

I was thinking of raking it in with a metal rake into the top 4 inches of soil around shrubs and perennials. I am not using it in my vegetable beds. No, there would be no vegetative material in my soil. Do you mean am I layering yard waste into the soil too? It is clay soil with small amount of bark mulch on the top at the moment.

prairiemoon2-dchall's coverage applies mainly to a lawn, although, as he says, that amount everywhere would be benificial. The coverage cowgirl2 mentions relates to nitrogen application rates primarily for garden beds. Most recommendations are for not more than 1/4" of compost on a lawn and, if you mulch mow, that will probably be enough N as well.

tj

Thanks tj...I am not sure if I will have enough compost for the lawn but I might. I don't have a mulching lawn mower and I use my clippings in the compost heap.

Wow! You're paying $35 /yard for composted manure? Around here it's free at most. Of course it's mostly horse manure. Most of the stables pay people to get rid of it for them. I'm going to go pick up 50 yards today of very well rotted horse manure today for the garden.

In a properly managed pile compost should not need a year to a year and a half to properly digest. What does this "composted mmanure" smell like?

smells like sh**! LOL
Sorry, couldn't resist!

Zing!

If "composted manure" smells like manure it isn't composted.