Shavings are actually beneficial when manure is being composted. For those with room,turing worms loose in a few cu yds,keeping it damp and covered with old carpet yield's more worms and a soil admendment second to none.

I think that we can all agree that fresh horse manure, even mixed with wood shavings and hay bits which also absorb urine, is wonderfully hot stuff. I do not have much of a compost pile started yet as our leaves have not all fell off the trees yet and we just got our first freeze. It is kinda hard to capture pictures of steam with the little camera that I have, but here is a picture that I took this frosty morning of my little compost pile after I dug a small hole it it to see if it has started . I only put one of those yellow buckets of it on this pile than covered it up with a few shredded oak leaves. It appears to be cooking nicely, and will be the starter for all the shredded leaves and other materials which I will be adding soon. The hot bed / cold frame is not finished, but we dumped three buckets into it. It was cold all day yesterday with dropping temps, freezing rain, some sleet and and 23* here overnight. I went out in the early A.M. before the sun hit the glass panes to start warming it up and it looks like it kept it to about 42 inside. I for one, am thankful to get the fresh horse manure for these purposes and hope to get a load of aged stuff to put a layer to ammend my garden after the first of the year. By spring, none of it will be recognizable and the worms will be thriving there. Bill P.

We have a 70 stall horse ranch/barn with a very large over one year aged pile of horse manure mixed with cedar shavings. This is great for mulching, fertilizer, or mixing in with soil to enrich your earth. Come any time between 9am-5pm Tuesday through Friday or Saturday and Sunday from 9am - 4pm. Please don't come out Mondays. You are welcome to take as little or as much as you wish. We have a small tractor and are able to fill medium sized pickups for a 20 dollar fee or you can load it your selves and take as much as you want for free. Please feel free to bring your own tractor if you are planning on taking tones. The pictures are showing the outer layers, the older richer material that would be best for fertilizer is just underneath. The best for mulch is the newest non aged lighter colored material. We produce large quantities daily so there is more than enough of each type available. This is the best deal out there, many other horse ranches sell their material, but since we produce such a large quantity there is more than enough for all. Please feel free to come on in at any time that works best for you between the hours above mentioned, no need to call ahead unless you need a fill, then just come find us. Were here teaching horse riding lessons and riding all day long. There is a gate on the property but the code is written on the key pad. Hope you enjoy this free chance to get your garden or landscaping project accomplished at a reduced cost. Were located at the end of Lucas valley road just off Nicasio valley Rd. 10 miles west of Fairfax, 15 miles west of Highway 101 over Lucas valley rd. and 15 miles south of Petaluma. It a beautiful drive, and a great way to get a clean product for your project, landscaping, garden, or business. 3431 Nicasio Valley Rd. Nicasio, CA 94946 Thanks for your interest! Call if you have any questions. 916-662-0828 (Ryan)

Lisa- About the wood for raised beds, I'm in the planning stages on my new beds too. A guy on craigslist is selling railroad ties for $8 each. (avg dimensions 9 foot long, 9 inches wide, 7 inches tall) I'm a little iffy on using them for edible plants, since they were treated with creasote, but if he's got some older/weathered ones (so most of the chemicals would have leached out a long time ago), I think that's my plan! Hanover County dumps also do the free mulch thing. Anybody know where to get inexpensive wire for putting under my raised beds to keep the moles out?