Compost and horse manure 101

[didireallysaythat]

It would be fair to say that my soil (garden and allotment) is poor. Take a handful, scrunch it and it doesn't clump at all, it just runs through your fingers like sand.

Each raised bed had 20 compost bags of (not rotted down) horse manure last autumn along with the leaf mold from our 20m beech tree from 2 years ago left on top over winter. This was dug in in the spring. Soil hasn't changed in nature at all.

How do I get brown, organic matter rich soil ? I've three compost stacks which have also been added to the raised beds over the year with no effect. Does the soil just suddenly change ? I wasn't expecting overnight differences but this is our fourth summer and I was hoping for some improvement.

Sorry I have no advice whatsoever but where I live it's heavy wet alkaline clay soil so I envy your your soil.
Seriously, type any question into Google and you'll get lots of info.

It takes years and years. Can you stack the manure so it goes on well rotted already? And do no-dig?

I think you have to keep adding stuff, and it never stops. I use seawwed, manure, mushroom compost, and hm compost. Loads of it. I don't dig but let the worms carry it down,

On the allotment I do lasagna planting, lay down cardboard and put organic matter over it and plant through it.

Just keep adding organic matter. It's taken me five years on clay soil to get good soil with worms. But you have to keep at it.

Woodchip. Return to Eden gardening on you tube. It is amazing.

Eatingcheese I dug a new bed last summer and following a YouTube video I put layers of newspaper and cardboard over my clay soil topped off with bags of horse manure and left it. This year I have worms! Still bad drainage but I have worms.

At the allotment I've put down cardboard, put bags of manure on top (again not rotted down) and covered with black polythene to stop the weeds (I guess I'm getting weed seeds in the horse poo). I'm not planning to uncover this year....

I'll keep at it. To be fair, some of the guys at the allotment have been doing it for 20 years and their soil is still free flowing, but a bit darker than mine.

Not sure I can stack 50+ bags of compost in my garden (not that large) but my friend with the horse is starting to drop it off again this week so I'll start a pile at the allotment. The strawberry bed failed so I'll stack it there. Does covering it help with the rotting down (I assume it keeps it warmer and stops it evaporating) ?

Id say leave horse manure uncovered to rot down if it isn't well rotted.

Compost is quicker if turned and governed and doesn't dry out.

It takes huge amounts of patience. I built raised beds at the slot end so I could concentrate on the beds rather than the whole slot meant and also grew green manure, some overwinter and then some if a bed wasn't being used. There's different types God different soil types but with most you cut down after they flower and before they set seed to add bulk.

Phacelia is lovely for the bees.

I just leave my compost uncovered by the way and just let it fi it's thing.

And second the bark chip idea, read up on it because it's not great foe seedlings.

The not drying out bit is my problem. The waterbutts were emptied in march and we've had no real rain since then.

I can probably get a tonne/square meter of wood chips - I don't think a bag or two from the garden centre will make much difference.