Steer manure ... again

[Tonio]

Sorry to bring up an old topic

I am in a urban rental house for the 2nd year, and working the soil for organic gardening. Mind you the landowner spread about 4 -6" of manson sand over the native soil. After double digging( perhaps you can call it triple digging ) by removing the sand and finding crapp soil.
Anyway last year(late april) I added some peat ( I know better now), a mulch mix-I don't have MFR at this point, EB Stone vermi compost, planting compost. This fall I amended w/ same planting compost, vermi compost.

I remember when using composted steer manure was a good thing in the garden prior to all the antibiotics, and GMO corn feed farms etc. Although most antibiotic, gmo fed cattle are cows not steer-whos to say where/what animal it really came from?

Is really safe to use steer manure nowadays? Specifically the brand " Gardeners Composted steer manure" which I am considering from a reputable so called Organic nursery locally ?

I have a small compost bin (3x3) started, but its not ready yet.
Looking for beter source for "friable" additives. Sadly I still have to import the bulk.

T

[floridahillnursery]

Hello most people live within driving distance from a mushroom farm. The Mushroom farm in my neighborhood is Monterey Mushroom located in Apopka Fl. The great thing about mushroom factories is that the growing medium they use is composted cow manure. Mushrooms will not grow in manure from cows that ingest chemically treated food so you know that it is truely an organic compost. The greatest thing of all is that they just about give it away. I believe its 15.00 for any size trailer you can bring. I have taken 20 yard trucks away for 15.00 . When gardening veggies, Mushroom compost out preformes all others.

[Tonio]

Thanks for the tip. I was not aware that mushrooms could not grow in chemical ridden manure.
I read somewhere that spent mushroom compost-is what mushroom growers sell for nearly nothing is due to there is not much ( nutrient etc ) left. Any truth to this , or the contrary?

T

[floridahillnursery]

Hello, Mushrooms are very picky and require insane amounts of nutriuents to grow and after 10 harvests or so its not fertile enough to grow mushrooms in. At this point it has composted to the perfect level for veggies. Factories give it away because the dept. of agriculture deems manure hazardous waste. So they would rather give it away than pay to have it taken away. From november to March we get three crops of cabbage and broccolli in mushroom compost. Thats one crop every month and a half or so.

[TheWaterbug]

How's this stuff for sweet corn?
[url=https://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100619087/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=steer%20manure&storeId=10051][img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/HomeDepotSteerManure.jpg[/img][/url]
(click for product info)

There's no "guaranteed analysis," but it's allegedly a blend of aged manure and compost. Originally I was planning on putting in some straight nitrogen:
[url=https://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100618523/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=nitrogen%20fertilizer&storeId=10051][img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/NitrogenFertilizer.jpg[/img][/url]

but then I saw that the poop was only $1/bag. So for the price of one 36 lb. bag of nitrogen I can get 12 cu. ft. of manure blend.