What is black and green, stinks, and the best gift a neighbor can give you?

milaneyjane 7/12/2010, 1:35 pm

Four giant yard black trash bags filled with grass clippings for the new compost pile Very Happy

My poor ten year old is not loving the job of hauling them out to the compost though--they get stinky quick! I am so excited. She was glad to get rid of them and since we mulch our grass clippings back into the lawn, I think I may hit her up every few weeks for more. Laughing

Garden Angel 7/12/2010, 1:43 pm

That is so cool! I was thinking of asking my nieghbor across the street for his grass clippings since we have a drought tolerant yard.

Also there is a stables that sits bags of horse manure out on the road for people to take, do you know if this is ok for the compost ? or can we use it to mulch with ? it looks like dry pellets.

quiltbea 7/12/2010, 1:59 pm

Stinky...Fresh horse manure can have elements of worm medicine which kills the worms in your soil that you need to aerate and make castings. so if its fresh manure, NO, don't use it. It has to age several months before its worm safe.

And for your fall rakings of leaves, you can bury those right under the soil in your raised beds each fall. The worms will love you and make short work of the leaves which they love to devour before spring and it makes a healty soil.

Squat_Johnson 7/12/2010, 3:07 pm

Always ask stable owners about what they treat pastures with... I spread some on my garden that I suspect was tainted with herbicide. Horse farmer sprays pasture with broadleaf herbicide, horse eats grass, I try to grow veggies in it, etc...

ander217 7/12/2010, 3:21 pm

If you don't get the horse manure that's treated with herbicides (which is bad), then you possibly get the other end of the spectrum, and have all kinds of weeds cropping up where you don't want them (which is also bad). Make certain that horse manure is well composted before you use it, and that it doesn't contain chemicals.

We're still pulling pigweeds and lambsquarters from our row garden and beds several years after spreading "free" horse manure. Just because it sat piled up in a pasture for a few months doesn't mean it composted with enough heat to kill the weed seeds.

**camprn** 7/12/2010, 3:49 pm

If I had some fresh manure at hand I would be thrilled! I would add it to the compost pile.

Garden Angel 7/12/2010, 7:24 pm

Thanks ! I had no idea but glad I asked before I picked some up !

Aussie Girl 7/12/2010, 11:05 pm

Horse wormer only last 3 months, so as long as you compost the poo for 3 months, you'll be right as rain & your garden will love you!!

Vinay 8/13/2010, 2:17 pm

Thank you for the information on the de-worming chemicals in the Horse Manure. As I understand, it is safe to use the manure after 3 months since the chemicals would have been neutralized. Does this neutralization happen because of the heat produced by the composting process?

What happens if the manure has been spread over the pasture with wood chips without composting? Will the de-working chemicals remain in the manure and eventually seep into the soil? My concern is the condition of the soil if we use some of this manure in the SFG boxes.

Thank you for your help.

Aussie Girl 8/16/2010, 7:13 pm

Hi Vinay,

I have horses & donkeys and we have to worm them every 3 months as the chemicals are no longer effective after this period.

Actually 12 weeks is a stretch, most of the worming chemicals are only effective for about 8 weeks.

The chemicals don't leech into the ground, they are absorbed by the worm & eggs inside the horse and the dead eggs etc are pooped out partly already composted.

On a side note - I have been told that Paw Paw seeds are an effictive natural wormer for animals & humans, would this mean that Paw Paw would be no good in the garden or compost? Hmnnnnnnn.

Vinay 8/17/2010, 9:57 am

Thank you, Aussie Girl....That helps.

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What is black and green, stinks, and the best gift a neighbor can give you?

What is black and green, stinks, and the best gift a neighbor can give you?

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