“How would you like a load of horse manure for your Christmas present this year?” stated the email from my close friend, Tim Tigner. Not many would think of a load of horse s…. as a particularly great gift, but I did. My garden desperately needed it, and a few weeks ago, Tim brought me a pickup load of composted horse manure.
Cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, green beans, beets – get ready to rumble!
Composting is necessary before spreading any manure on a garden, otherwise the intense heat of the decomposing manure would burn the plants. By composting, the organic matter is allowed to break down naturally so the nutrients can be readily absorbed. They say it takes at least 6 to 12 months to fully compost, but the longer the better. The benefits of horse manure in a vegetable garden are huge.
First, when worked into the soil, it helps retain moisture, and prevents topsoil erosion.
Composted manure also allows nitrogen to break down in a more stable form, making it more accessible to plants, and only about half of that nitrogen is used the first year, so it has long-term benefits. The manure also improves conditions for earthworms – they love it – and the more worms in a garden bed, the better it will be.
Manure is an ideal organic fertilizer consisting of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three elements critical to plant development. Nitrogen allows plants to produce the proteins needed to build living tissue for green stems, strong roots, and lots of leaves. Phosphorus helps move energy throughout the plant, especially important in maturing plants. Potassium helps plants in adapting sugars needed in growth, especially helpful in root crops. Together, these three elements form N-P-K, the backbone of all fertilizers.
So, instead of lumps of coal in my Christmas stocking this year, I’m getting lumps of horse manure.
Thanks, Tim. What a great present!