If you are concerned about e-coli or other nasties you can always compost the bedding and manure for 90 days before you apply it. It should heat up until it is steaming hot. We have horses, and I make two piles a year, a winter pile that we use in the spring and a summer pile that we use in the fall. I don't turn the pile, it's too big. You can cover the pile with a tarp to keep it from getting too dry or too wet. I wait until it sprouts mushrooms before I use it. There are some serious composters on the composting forums, if you care to take a look. And Organic Gardening's website used to have a chart of the n-p-k ratio of different manures from different species. For us, with the horses bedded in sawdust, I use a little bone meal to even out the the n-p-k and give it a nitrogen boost. Hope this helps! Kitty

If this is a slab that is 4 inches thick and all that is below is some kind of soil then remove the concrete and dig into that soil under it and look closely at that soil to determine 1. how much organic matter is there. 2. how well that will drain. 3. how well that soil will retain moisture. 4. what the tilth of that soil is. 5. what kind of life is in that soil. These simple soil tests can help find that information, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. and can guide you in determining what you need do to make that into a good, healthy soil. You want between 5 and 8 percent organic matter in any soil that is used to grow plants.

Terrene thanks for looking at my photos. I have done some forcing using the vases you describe. I may have some photos in there as well. Paperwhites as you probably know don't require any cold period. So just pot them up or put in a shallow container with marbles/stones/water and you will have some nice blooms soon. When I did the vase with water forcing I was able to have good luck with hyacinths. One year I bought some precooled hyacinths. I think I got them at Russells garden center and one year at Lake st garden center in Salem NH. They weren't much money to do it. One year I also tried precooling my own tulips/daffodils and using these vases. I had less luck with these as the flowers were misshappen and smaller than they should have been. If you have an extra refridgerator you could precool your own or if you have a garage that is cool in range 32 - 40 degrees you could do it there. One year I did this and put the water just barely touching the white roots of the hyacinth and then put the vase, hyacinth in my cool garage for the required time period. You have to be careful that using these vases that the water doesn't come in direct contact witht bulb bottom or it will rot. The one problem with these vases and hyacinths is that you must lean them against a wall or give them support as the hyacinths are prone to topple. I put the vase,bulb on my kitchen counter and leaned it there. Have fun!

Give it away? Are there any community gardens in your area? If you find the right gardener that would love your compost materials, you might get some good veggies in trade. Most people who compost on an urban lot are lacking browns for their compost bins. I don't think you would have any trouble getting rid of your excess. Find some local people doing worm composting, they would probably especially love to have the rabbit droppings/wood chips. If I was in Utah I would take it off your hands. Katrina