Glad to hear alfalfa tea is eternal. I've had a covered container for about a month and was wondering. I opened it Sunday while preparing Bubble Bath's site. Man, I take everything back about that nice "green" smell. Whew! I left it uncovered the whole time I was working and suffered. (Once I start digging I can't stop for anything.) I kept thinking again and again "What is that gross smell? Oh,..." When I got cleaned up & ready to go in, I decided to cover it back. I was sure someone would call the police, reporting a dead body. Bad stuff. But when I mixed it up, it WAS green. Bill, I hope your wife apologized to your son and you apologized to your wife. LOL. Too funny. Sherry

Some people find that earthy smell prior to and during a rain to be offensive, while I find it very appealing. I play with tons of fresh to month old horse manure mixed with shavings on a regular basis. The very freshest manure does have that undeniable manure smell. And while I don't usually smell ammoniain it, I do know it's potentially there. The medium aged manure usually reminds me of pipe tobacco, not pipe smoke, the tobacco itself. Flavored. Sweet, mellow, sort of earthy, but not dirt earthy. Not offensive (to me), but not what I want an air freshener in the house to smell like. If I scatter fresh manure on the garden, a week later, I can't tell it's fresh. No smell. If it were 6 inches deep all over, maybe it would still smell a little. But I don't go that thick. If i till it in right after spreading, then there is no smell the next day or maybe two.

I guess my question should read..... Is there anything that can be done to expedite the off gassing. I've done further research and learned that some have problems with pooling in floor vents. This isn't our issue as we have ceiling vents. There are no adjacents rooms with carpet so I know it isn't trapped in carpet padding. Any other ideas?

The reason that most paint doesn't last that long is because people don't put the lids on tight and air gets in. If the lids are snug, it should last 10 years or longer.