Mystery Manure - is it too fresh?

[amandaandherveg]

Found a bag of manure sitting at my front door and had no idea where it came from. Upon investigation I found out that the postie delivered it. He'd been driving along in his van when a heap of it fell off the trailer in front if him. He got a sack, scooped it up and dropped it off.

Anyhow, can I dig this into the raised bed I plan on putting my sweetcorn in - it still smells quite ripe.

[denise]

Not too sure but I think any manure needs be at least 1 year old, any young and it burns the plant roots.

[Snadger]

If it smells ripe, I wouldn't use it just now but let it mellow for a while!

Brings new meaning to 'Fell of the back of a wagon' spose and I just wonder if the POsties got rid of the stink in his van?

[amandaandherveg]

Jack the Postie is a legend!

I've ordered a new compost bin from Waste Aware, I'll throw it in there when it arrives. Will have to get him to follow a trailer with older muck next time.

[Two_Sheds]

What a great postie!

[-pat m]

Now that postman deserved his Christmas drink
I am lucky enough to have in laws with horses so get �the good stuff� which looks more like earth than manure 18 months old+. What they do however is have the best crop of courgettes that I have ever seen and they plant seedlings straight into the top of the current manure stock- which is at one end is only a month or so old � So could it be a little dependant on the type of plant? I have read a thread on here about manure absorbing loads of water and as such harms plants near it? � I would stick the bag in the corner of the garden forget it for the summer and dig it in at the end of the season ready for next year (where you aren�t going to put carrots etc)

Regards

Pat

[jacob marley]

When i drove a milk tanker i was going down a lane one day folowing a tractor and trailer loaded with bag's of seed potato's (big bags) and the one on the back corner was rocking and it fell of .
These bag seemed a lot heavier than when i drove a tater lorry .. it took me five minute's to get the bag on to the passenger seat in my cab i did not have a plot at the time so they was passed it on to a mate who had a small holding he grew them and i helped eat them....jacob

[Nicos]

good man!!!...erm..not many folks have a bag and shovel in their vehicles!!!!( well I hope he didn't need to wash his hands afterwards!!!!!)

A nice parcel of GYO later on in the year for him would go down a treat eh????

As to the manure...can you roughly tell what it is????
I'm talking of shape and texture here

If it were sheep then you'd need to compost it for a couple of years and mix in with other stuff cos it's really strong.....I imagine you'd recognise the huge 'rabbit pellet' sized poop?????

Cow I think would be sloppy unless well composted???
Horse is the tennis ball sized lumps often with straw or shavings.
Donkey is smaller and not easy to get yr hands on ( as in finding it!!!)
Pig is I think ...well...sort of clumps (ish??)

Probably horse...can you tell????

As the others have said- compost for a year mixing in with other compost , unless it's sheep- and then rot down for a couple of years.

Well done you!