Manure Dig In Or Leave In Top

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

Hi folks as the title says just wondering the best way to go about it.

[forest of dean redneck 11,809]

I know some used to let frost get on it,then dig it in springtime so bit of both lol

[Gtbaker369 44]

Dig it in

[terryd 8,730]

One thing I did notice is it holds the moisture so when your waiting to get on the ground in the spring it needs a bit longer to dry out

[jok 3,393]

Well my friend. For what it's worth, leave it on the surface. " reasons". Believe it or not, weeds grow throughout the winter and when you surface cover it stops them. Then, come Spring, when you are about to start setting the little beggars have that to get through. In the meantime, all the nutrients have sieved their way into the soil and heyho away we go. You'll find your weeding easier and in fact nearly a pleasure compared to all your neighbours. Give it a go. It's only another experiment in the gardeners experience.

[stealthy1 3,964]

Did it in TP, and let the worms drag it down over the winter.

[jok 3,393]

TP. Trust me on this one. The only thing is, when it comes to ground for your brassicas , it definitely is not the way to go. Them buggers need hard ground , otherwise, to my misfortune yet again, the florets burst like Spring flowers. I'll be buying Brussels like the rest of you guys which quite honestly doesn't impress me one bit. The rest of my allotment however has faired pretty well.

[Tiercel 6,986]

Manure is more of a soil conditioner that a feed, get it dug in. As it breaks down in the soil it will condition the soil. The nutrients that are in the manure will still be in the soil as Manure releases them slowly. It also allows beneficial bacteria to feed off of it as it breaks down.

 

Edited to add: If you plan on growing Brassica's they like an alkaline soil so dig the manure in now and lime in the spring. if you lime at the same time as you dig in the manure a chemical reaction takes place which robs the soil of nitrogen.

 

TC

Edited November 4, 2015 by tiercel

[jocky 198]

JOK. thats why my broccoli as gone like a bunch of flowers then, i dug the muck in in the spring. the soil was to soft to hold them up. i had to put more soil round the base of them and treed it down to hold them up.

[The one 8,529]

I wouldn't put it on just now just rough. Dig the ground let the winter break down the soil then dig in the manure in the spring

[darbo 4,776]

JOK. thats why my broccoli as gone like a bunch of flowers then, i dug the muck in in the spring. the soil was to soft to hold them up. i had to put more soil round the base of them and treed it down to hold them up.

Also water frequently in hot weather apply a thick mulch around the plant ie leaf mould to hold the moisture in. its the soil in hot weather getting hot and heating up the roots that can cause early bolting.

[jok 3,393]

Jocky. Like I've said before come and see me and we can have a chinwag. Not only that, you can have your mole traps back and a healthy dose of horseradish.