Manure / Compost Questions

[baltic_ballet]

My niece has just got a pony and my sister has offered me manure for the garden, I have a couple of questions:

1. Dose the manure need to age awhile before I can use it or can I use it straight away?
2. Can it go straight onto our veggie garden and what amount should I use?
3. Can I / should I add it to my compost to help break it down?

I've used dynamic lifter (chicken poo pellets) on the garden but not fresh manure before.

Thanks

[philomom]

Horse manure is too strong and must be aged for some time before adding to your garden.

http://gardening.about.com/od/amendingsoil/g/Manure.htm

[baltic_ballet]

Thanks philomom.

[Truvie]

My county extension office just told me 90-120 days for pig poop. ? We have a pen that we moved the pigs out of in the Spring, and it's now awash in tomato plants. Didn't realize I fed them so many tomato scraps! I don't want the tomatos to go to waste (literally 50+ plants), but I'm kind of wary too.

[Sundance_11]

We've got tons of tomato plants growing in our pig pen, too! But she gets to them as soon as they're ripe, lol!

I would put fresh horse manure on my garden in the fall, till it in, and let it sit for the winter...

AFA how much, I really don't think you can have too much! As long as it can be worked into the soil, and isn't just taking over, it's good. We put as much on as we can get every season (from a farmer who has 3 horses, we use about 1 tenth of what he has each time). It's amazing what it will do to poor, clay soil in a short amount of time!