The plants would most probably burn. Unless you compost manure it takes a while to break down.

I made a large veg garden this summer and covered my lawn with two feet of raw horse manure. I waited two months and planted directly into the mixture after 2 months and everything grew wonderfully. You must make it at least 2 ft deep so it heats up and composts a little to get the 'heat" out of it and make it safe to grow in.

John

You could post your question on the Tomato Forum and hope that Dr. Carolyn, professor of microbiology, would advise you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Forum

You need to read everything you can find written by Joel Salatin. He's a Virginia farmer who does something very similar to what you are suggesting.

With no scientific research or testing to back this up, IMHO I think you'll be just fine, especially if the anaimals are out of the area for 1 month before planting. This observations come from using cattle manure, fresh and composted, regularly. I've learned it does not take long for manuse to break down to a useable level, even in the winter.

Sounds like a great way to do it, adding the chips and using pig power to mix it. I have the cows, but no pigs.

Please remember everyone, this is just MHO from experience.

MP

Old farmers where I was a kid spread manure in the fall or winter on many places where they planned to plant in the spring and summer. I was just a kid and don't recall anymore details but it was once not unheard of.

Back in the 1950's when my uncle was still farming he told me that you should never spread manure on a field unless you were prepared to work it into the soil, because leaving it lay on the surface meant a large loss of nutrients. Current research bears that thought out.
The odor that manure has is nutrient loss. composting manure, before applying it to fields, is the best option. That people did something for years does not mean it was the right thing to do.

I like your plan. I'm doing something similar, but without the animal help - I have to haul the horse manure I'm using...

I think your plan is fine from a soil science point of view - the manure will not necessarily add lots of nitrogen, but will add organic matter. And the pig compost turners are great. I think Joel Salatin shows a photo of that in his talks.

From a microbiology point of view ( I have a Ph.D in microbiology and lots of experience in food safety and organic agriculture) you're fine too. First, E. coli is a problem in grain fed but not grass fed cows. If you are feeding the pigs a mostly grain and veggie-based food, they are unlikely to excrete nasty pathogens, either. Even if there were pathogens in the animals' manure, if you allow 60 days from when the pigs leave (which is when their manure stops being "applied") and harvest (NOT planting, but harvest) you are complying with the National Organic Standards, which are the strictest I know of for manure application.

Thank you all so much for your help. I have studied Joel Salatin in depth, along with other sustainable farmers, and this is what originally sparked the idea. Joel literally composts his cow manure by overwintering the cows for a few months which allows the bedding/manure to really heat up. He then spreads this on his pastures to grow better grass, but not veggies. Since our winters are milder in GA, we will only be feeding hay through Dec. and Jan. so the bedding won't build up and heat up as much. It may not get 2 ft. deep as John suggests. I will help the manure break down by raking out the patties periodically, working them into the soil and wood chips. I was afraid if it did not get hot enough then the bacteria may still be present. If I don't see that the bedding really begins to compost, then could I solarize the garden area with clear plastic in March after the pigs are done aerating? Or is this just overkill since the area will lay dormant for 1 1/2 months before planting anyway?

Annebert - will the urine from the cows and pigs add nitrogen or should I add something else right before planting?

I used to plant in massive amounts of cow and horse manure that I spread to depths of 12-18 inches on the garden. I did not dig the manure in at all. The results were very satisfying. Kimmsr is right that you will lose some nutrients, but that is almost entirely nitrogen. In my experience, the nitrogen lose was not significant, and eliminating the need to compost first, with all the associated labor more than made up for any nitrogen loses that may have occured. I found that my soil was so full of worms by spreading manure like this that they mixed the manure into the layers of soil underneath quite quickly, making for a deep, fertile soil. I could take a hose and aim it with the faucet fully open onto a section of garden, and the water would be absorbed by the soil. It was soft enough that you could put your hands into it, and easily open holes to plant. My primary focus in putting so much manure into the garden was to increase the organic matter and improve the soil structure, not to improve fertility. In my opinion, there would have been little to gain by digging the manure in; a cost/benefit look would cause me to add additional other fertilizers if I needed more nitrogen.
Renais

Renais -

Wow, so you planted right into the manure? Was this fresh manure that you planted into? You soil sounds wonderful and that is what I was hoping for!

What you are planning on doing is probably the best method of preparing soil for growing and overall improvement. I wish I had the space and resources to do what you described. The manure will be worked into the soil well enough by the hooves of the cattle as well as the rooting of the swine.
Keep us informed on the overall improvement.

One thing to be careful of is compacting your garden soil too much. Pigs left in one place for too long can really compact the soil tremendously. To the point where you might need to chisel plow it in order to grow certain crops successfully. I am guessing that your cows might do the same. You will also most likely introduce a lot of weed seeds through the hay. You probably will have a lot of weeds to start with anyway so that might not be a big concern. Regarding pathogens, if you work with these animals regularly you probably have built up immunity to most of the pathogens. If some tiny amount of manure were to be on your carrot for example the levels would likely be so low that you would experience no problems. Good luck with your new garden.

David

We layered fresh horse manure last fall on a new garden spot, then put straw over it and let it sit all winter. We then had a layer of river bottom spread over it when we got ready to plant, and covered it with landscape fabric and bark mulch. We dug holes for the tomato plants. In spite of the drought this summer, we had a wonderful year. Your plan sounds like a winner, too, especially with the pigs to keep everything mixed.

Well I'm very encouraged! It sounds like this practice is not as strange as I once thought. It is my first large scale garden and my first garden in this region so I know I have a lot to learn. In the end, the veggies grown will be for my own family's consumption so as long as we wash everything very well there shouldn't be a problem. Thank you all so much for your help. It's given me lots to think about!

Here is a good artcile on using livestock to improve or even build soil

http://managingwholes.com/-restoration-no-soil.htm

If its one thing manures do its its ability to grow things.

Community composting facilities--you know the ones that invite people to come and take what and when they want, as much they want.
In such compost piles there is the ever present tomatoe seeds.....you cant kill a tomato seed and one of the best places you can rely on seeing them is in such community compost piles.

Usually they have 3 or 4 piles...and each one is given a designation. Raw.....ripe....still working....and good for the garden..

Now here we have a number of persons advertising the goodness that is found in raw manure...fresh from the factory.
It lays there for a couple months..these field patties.
They are in the ripe category.

Six months....a year...the stuff is still working.

A year..two years...now the sign goes up "good for the garden".

I just hope that the persons who grow and eat and give to guests such vegetables they grow in the raw, ripe and still working manure to be a good host and inform their dinner guests as to what they are partaking.

Harmonyliz, I recommend you read further articles on why you SHOULD NOT use compost that is NOT FINISHED.

Seems some would enjoy my child years. Mom would send me out to the road when the local trades people happened to come by.
Such trades people: The kindling man; the vegetable and fruit farmer from down the street; the Coffee and TEA man;
the Bread man, the milkman, the police officer; the laundryman; all used the services of horses.
And many times they unloaded right in front of the house...and you could count on seeing some steam rising....winter or summer.

Do you know how many shovelfuls of horseballs are made when a horse has been well fed.

Ask my mother's poppies, her peonies, her pear tree and other marvellous looking flowers.
But then, the manure was placed into a corner spot and used the next season.

Bon appetite!

Liz, my only reason for commenting on the nitrogen was because concern was raised about losing nutrients. I think soil prepared the way you plan will have plenty of nutrients and you shouldn't assume you'll need to add nitrogen.

Anne