Manure: which, how much and when

In short

• Fresh manure: at least 120 days from spreading to harvest of vegetables that touch the soil, 90 days for everything else. Salad crops, radishes, strawberries and herbs get only mature compost.
• Limit: on average no more than 170 kg N/ha a year from manure, which is 17 g of nitrogen per m²: about 3 kg of cattle manure or 1 kg of chicken manure per m².
• Muck heap: impermeable base, a roof or tarp, at least 30 m (100 ft) from a well, and never uphill of it.
• Bought manure and hay can carry herbicides that survive composting. Do a bean test before it goes on the garden.
• Gloves, hand washing and an up-to-date tetanus vaccination for anyone who handles manure.

What's inside

Chapters

1. Which manure: types and nutrients
2. How much manure you have
3. A muck heap without losses
4. Well-rotted manure and composting
5. Hygiene: pathogens and harvest intervals
6. How much for each crop
7. When and how to spread
8. Bought manure: what to ask
9. Common mistakes
10. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Manure calculator
• Nitrogen calculator
• Bean test
• Spreading log
• Muck heap plan
• Questions for the manure seller
• Manure calendar