Composting question & is anyone near me?

I have 3 horses who are primarly pasture-grazed or prarie-hay fed during the winter with a bit of grain added during the coldest months. So of course I have a LOT of manure to deal with! Anyone know the best way to compost the quantities I have and how long it needs to be composted before I can use it. I heard somewhere that horse manure needs to compost for 12 months?? I'm not planning to add this to my regular compost pile because of the sheer volume.

Also, are there any SFG people close to me? I am located between Oklahoma City and Shawnee, OK. On the edge of the region, I think.

ShadowWynn

So glad you joined us. Sorry, I am not anywhere near you, but wanted to let you know how glad we are to have you.

It appears you found some threads in your region and have started looking around. Be sure to check other regions too. Our search tool may not be the best in the world, but you may find information that is helpful.

Please feel free to ask questions and if you have answers or comments please feel free to chime in. We want your participation and we sure do love pictures.

Regarding the time required to compost horse manure, I have NO experience, but found the following link which may help.

HORSE COMPOST

The next is a partial quote from Washington State University " It will probably take about one to three months for each pile to compost during the summer and about three to six months in the winter. If you monitor your piles with a thermometer you will see a gradual drop in the higher "active" composting temperatures as it begins the curing process and becomes ready for use."

When I was boarding a number of horses years ago, there was a woman who would come in with a bunch of 5 gallon covered buckets and collect the horse manure. She'd take it home and add water, let it sit for a day or two and, then, store it in a rain barrel system to water her garden. she said it worked wonderfully and called it manure tea. The only thing she said to watch out for was to make it pretty dilute and water with it more often.

Well I'm in Coweta, south of broken arrow.....So I'm not too far from you... I hope we can share some tips back and forth.....So far the only tip I have is to find a great website with lots of helpful people....wink wink

I am in Locust Grove east of Tulsa about 45 miles. I am also new to SFG actually gonna try to dig my box out of a wood pile today.

God Bless
Slim

I'm in Tulsa, so I'm not too far away either. I grew up in Maine and moved here a couple years ago so I don't have a lot of experience gardening in this climate. I am adapting and learning more each season. Glad that the cold weather of the last few days has passed and we are seeing some sunshine!

I can't give you any tips about your horse manure but just wanted to let you know I'm just west of OKC in the Yukon/Mustang area. I'm glad to see so many Okies on this forum!

We're composting donkey, cow, and pig here. We just got horses in the field today so they will be next. Treat it like any other compost pile. Keep it damp, turn it often, and nature will do the rest. I find adding a little straw from the "rotten" bales makes things go faster and turning it as frequently as you can stand to helps a lot. We have a lot of postings on Craigslist here that offer free composted or un-composted horse manure so if you're looking to get rid of it, people will come get it. Some might even pay.

Welcome and best of luck with the free waste!

@Chopped Liver MM wrote:We're composting donkey, cow, and pig here. We just got horses in the field today so they will be next. Treat it like any other compost pile. Keep it damp, turn it often, and nature will do the rest. I find adding a little straw from the "rotten" bales makes things go faster and turning it as frequently as you can stand to helps a lot. We have a lot of postings on Craigslist here that offer free composted or un-composted horse manure so if you're looking to get rid of it, people will come get it. Some might even pay.

Welcome and best of luck with the free waste!

Where in NC are you. I'm in Elizabeth City, but visit my son in Wilmington often.

Kay

I'm a moving target (lol). Home base is in Winston-Salem, but the farm is near Wilkesboro. I have family in Ogden (you pass it on 17 coming into Wilmington) and Greensboro and have spent a lot of time in Elizabeth City.

Funny aside, my neighbors are now asking for manure. Never in a million years did I ever think someone would ask ME for manure. (lol)

Well, If I was closer, I would be asking also.

Kay

@walshevak wrote:Well, If I was closer, I would be asking also.

Plan a trip to the mountains, but remember, bring a truck, or a container you can seal tight.

This "old lady" drives a Dodge Ram 1500 4x4


I have to go to Raleigh Fri. How far is that from the Manure?


Kay

Right at 2 hours. We're 40 minutes on the other side of Winston-Salem. If you're serious and plan to come this way, let me know. We're cleaning out the pig pin this week and I'll make you a pile.