The problem I've had with horse compost, far more than manure from any other source, is that the weed seeds pass thru the horse without missing a beat! The only way to use it seems to be to bury it in trenches. Also, shavings take a long time to break down and while they do they are using a lot of nitrogen; the horse manure would help with this. Since you have all the materials right there you could go for it, but it's unlikely the area would be ready to plant for a year or two. The horse manure is "hot" and will burn plant roots unless it's been pre-composted in a pile. The lasagna method indicates you could plant pretty quickly, but with this combination of materials I'm not so sure. I tried the "old hay" (Ruth Stout) mulching method on my first antique rose beds and grew grass shoulder-high; I was never able to save that garden and lost most of the damaks, HP's and mosses.

I have lots of old, composted stall manure that I was planning to put on it. Also, my yard man grinds up my leaves when they all fall off the trees and puts them in a huge pile which I like to use on my beds - plan to use some of that. I also have access to mushroom compost which I thought to pile on top after the bed got going. I realize I wont be able to plant here for awhile, probably a year like you said, barbara, but I really want to reclaim this bed and thought to start on it a section at a time - it does have roses in it that are doing well......Old Blush, Nymphenburg, Wanderin'Wind, Louis Phillipe, Clotilde Soupert, a couple of Lucettas [Austins], Dortmund [on the fence], McCartney rose, Mrs. Du Pont, Miss Lillian, Russilliana, Coral Beauty, Outta The Blue, Belindas Dream, FJ Lindheimer, Caldwell Pink and 2 climbers on an arbor. Even with all these roses.......there is lots of space [for more roses!!] but also for weeds......so though I realize this will be a long term project, I dont see any other way. I dont know how long it would take the paper feed sacks to decompose - they are a double layer of paper. If anyone has any better ideas, I am all ears!! Thanks....
Judith

Oh Judith, what a list! If I still lived in Grapevine Texas I'd be inviting myself over to see your roses. When I gardened out behind our barn, I used a sicklebar mower to keep the field knowcked down around the beds, and that helped for quite awhile as the wonderful variety of Ohio pasture weeds didn't get a chance to go to seed (ironweed, statice, Queen Anne's Lace, white yarrow). The combination of horse manure & mushroom compost will break those leaves down like crazy so GO for it, girl!

The feed sacks are what I am unsure of.....but then, they are paper, and the lasagna info I have says cardboard, newspaper. I guess if I keep piling stuff on it.....eventually it will begin to break down and I can have rich dirt and smother the weeds. I had a bunch of mushroom compost put on this spot when I built the barn 14 years ago, so the soil is loose already - guess that is why the weeds love it. Do you think the feed sacks layered with leaves, compost and then mushroom compost to top it off will smother the weeds?

Barbara, I would love to have you visit next time you are in Texas! Just let me know - love rose visitors! Actually.....that list of roses just scratches the surface..I am working on rose beds everywhere. And if that wasnt enough.....have 3 orderes from Vintage potted up - cant let the pot ghetto shrink to nothing!! If I didnt have pots of roses in the driveway, my friends would think I had moved.
Judith

I visited another rose enthusiast near Texarkana who goes by Cweathersby on GW. She tried the lasagna method and it didn't work. It just didn't break down. I have used the feed sacks for hauling horse manure. Those sacks must be pretty thick and may not compost as fast. The horse manure I have used was semi-broken down--so far no weeds.

I have a method that has worked for me. What type of soil do you have?

Hey, I say go for it. I use newspaper, cardboard, food sacks..etc to keep weeds down in my big beds of old roses covered with wood chips and horse manure. I could not grow roses without using paper. You are in Texas and you have much warmer soil so your stuff will break down sooner. It is not a problem if they do not breakdown right away-you are not trying to build soil since you have that already-cut a hole where you want to plant something-dont let the bed dry out-that would be the main thing. If it dries out you can have problems getting water past all that paper and mulch. It is not a problem here where we get lots of natural rain but I bet you have a dryer summer. I have used paper to kill blackberries-it needs to be thick and well covered to kill those. This will work but like I said keep it moist.

patricia

You can also cover the garden with 'lumber wrap'. It is the tarp which covers lumber during transport. We get it for free at any building supply store. It comes in various sizes from 8x10 to 16x20 approx. and is stronger than most tarps you can buy.

You can cover the garden area...secure corners and centre edges with rocks etc. and within 2 months, earlier if it's hot, most all weeds will be killed or well on their way and then are very easy to remove. Be sure to put the black side up to heat the soil better.

Or you can cover the bed and cut holes for planting and remove the plastic after several months.

I use if for my paths and it works great. I also covered my vegy garden this year in May as I was unable to plant it. I checked at the end of August and it was still moist underneath, obviously without any watering. But then we are cooler up here.

Once you remove the plastic you'll have to keep on top of any weed seeds that sprout. The easiest, quickest way I've found is a 'Hula Hoe'. You can scuff a large area in no time...just make sure you don't let the weeds get very big. Easier to do a light scuffing weekly which will take 5-10 minutes than to fight larger weeds.

Or you could then put down your feed bags and cover with mulch. Mushroom manure is the best as it is weed free. With the bags covering the weed seeds presently in your soil and a weed free mulch, your bed will be virtually weed free other than some that may get blown in.

Good Luck, Krystyna

I have used composed horse manure for a lasagne bed and had fabulous result. I used the wet layers of newspapers on beds of solid weeds and then finished with a fairly deep covering of manure, straw, leaves and peat moss but mostly manure. Myy level was about 18 inches deep. The best part, is that the weeds are so easy to get rid of! No more pulling them out of clay soil and breaking off at ground level. I would not hesitate to use feed bags (I have lots of those also).

Teresa

All paper will break down, but some years (drought) the break down is very slow. Wet + heat will work best. I've used almost everything paper to suppress weeds, even the colored ads in the newspaper. Some years I've still got ten layers of spring-laid newspaper in fall; in good rainy years, the newspaper is gone by August.
In my part of the world, winter rains will finish off almost all paper in beds.
A friend in east TN made massive lasagne beds, and then decided to move to a nursing home. The presence of the beds, ready to plant were the reason her home sold much faster than the realtor predicted.

I did a few lasagna beds this summer with aged horse manure covered by layers of news paper and mini pine nuggets. They did great. Easiest beds I have ever planted. I think the only way to learn is to try it and find out. I think your ideas are good & it sounds like you have some good mulch materials. The thicker paper may be better for the weeds you describe. I had a few weeds and grass sprout up in my beds, and I just zapped them with a dose of roundup. I would leave an area open around the roses just to allow the water to soak in better.

All reports on the feed sacks sound positive. The bed is large - I am going to take it one section at a time and do it right. I am good about watering.......so it wont be hard to keep the mulch and sacks wet. This is a great bed, lots of morning and mid-day sun - and the roses I already have there are thriving, so know if I can just get the @#$@#$ weeds licked, it will be a fabulous bed. I just needed a direction to go....As I get the young man who cleans stalls to strip one, I will have the sacks down and wet, and he can dump the stuff on them and I will spread it....a section at a time. By spring.....hopefully it will be well on its way, and then I can go get a load of mushroom compost and dump on top of that....We always get lots of rain during the winter, so this is a prime time to get started......I will post back and report how this is working.....this is my first lasagna bed and I cant wait to see how it does! Thanks to all and Happy Holidays!
Judith

Good luck and let us know how it goes!