I recently got my hands on some free horse manure and I'm hoping to use it as fertilizer for my garden. I'm curious about how long I should wait for it to break down before I can safely use it on my vegetables. Any insights or tips on this would be appreciated!
3 Answers
Make sure to check if the horses were fed any herbicides like picloram or aminopyralid. Those can linger for years. Generally, you should wait about 6-12 months to let the manure age and break down properly. A good rule of thumb I use is whether I feel okay sticking my hands in it—if yes, it's probably garden-ready!
It really depends on how fresh the manure is and what you're planting. I used some horse manure mixed with straw last year just by burying it in my beds. After about a year, it turned into this amazing black compost! Just be careful with fresh manure directly on things like salads that you harvest quickly.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer! Fresh manure is too 'hot' for most plants. I recommend composting it for at least 1-3 months, especially if it doesn't have enough carbon sources mixed in. Covering it is a good idea too, to preserve those nutrients. Also, worms love the stuff, plus mixing it in with clay soil can really improve your garden! Just be patient!