In getting the vegetable garden ready this spring, in one patch of about 50 sq. ft I put in perhaps 1 cu.ft. of peat moss and maybe 80 lbs of composted cow manure. (Someone advised me once that a lot more is better.) Now I'm hearing 40lbs per 100 sq ft is the way to go.
Have I irreparably damaged the garden for this season? Is there anything I can do to fix this?
For what its worth I'll be planting some tomatoes and peppers in this patch.
Thanks!
There's a topic about this here: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... =35&t=7954
I actually, have a neighbor beef farmer that plants her tomatoes in 100% composted cow manure. And they look wonderful!
I actually, have a neighbor beef farmer that plants her tomatoes in 100% composted cow manure. And they look wonderful!
It is a lot for 50 sq ft, but a lot depends on how well composted it was, the type of soil you have and how deep you till it in.
The nutrients in the manure will be released slowly and it should not burn if it is well composted, but there will be a lot of salt. How much of a problem will depend on how much salt you already have in the soil. If you have sandy soil it will leach quicker.
For me, that much compost in my clay soil and with rain would stay to wet and be more alkaline. for the already alkaline soils in a couple of gardens. Manure is heavy so if it has a high moisture content 80 lbs might not be that bad. I usually put about an inch on the top of the soil and work it into 6-8 inches of soil when I do use it. pH of steer manure tends to lean toward neutral but composting tends to make it a little higher.
https://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/242.html
The nutrients in the manure will be released slowly and it should not burn if it is well composted, but there will be a lot of salt. How much of a problem will depend on how much salt you already have in the soil. If you have sandy soil it will leach quicker.
For me, that much compost in my clay soil and with rain would stay to wet and be more alkaline. for the already alkaline soils in a couple of gardens. Manure is heavy so if it has a high moisture content 80 lbs might not be that bad. I usually put about an inch on the top of the soil and work it into 6-8 inches of soil when I do use it. pH of steer manure tends to lean toward neutral but composting tends to make it a little higher.
https://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/242.html
