Posted by Ed on July 15, 2009, 10:55 am
I have a couple of large compost bins on my allotment which I regularly
fill with compostable materials from home, but this only accounts for a
few percent.
For the most part, I go to the local riding stables where they bag up
the horse manure and leave it outside for people to take for free.
In the winter time, when the horses are inside the stables, the mix is
heavy with straw and bedding. But now in the warmer months with the
horses outside , it is mainly stuff gathered straight off the paddock
areas where the horses pass their days.
The thing is this. The bins are 4'x3'x3' and I just do not have the
energy or strength to turn them. So , in effect they are cold compost
heaps. I let the contents rot down over a 2 year period.
But is there a danger that the pathogens in the horse dung will not die
off (as they would if I were operating a hot heap) and that my family
could become seriously ill if I use this composted material on my
vegetable plot even if it is 2 years old?
Ed
(South-East UK)
Posted by brooklyn1 on July 15, 2009, 11:12 am
>I have a couple of large compost bins on my allotment which I regularly
>fill with compostable materials from home, but this only accounts for a few
>percent.
> For the most part, I go to the local riding stables where they bag up the
> horse manure and leave it outside for people to take for free.
> In the winter time, when the horses are inside the stables, the mix is
> heavy with straw and bedding. But now in the warmer months with the
> horses outside , it is mainly stuff gathered straight off the paddock
> areas where the horses pass their days.
> The thing is this. The bins are 4'x3'x3' and I just do not have the
> energy or strength to turn them. So , in effect they are cold compost
> heaps. I let the contents rot down over a 2 year period.
> But is there a danger that the pathogens in the horse dung will not die
> off (as they would if I were operating a hot heap) and that my family
> could become seriously ill if I use this composted material on my
> vegetable plot even if it is 2 years old?
There is no concern with pathogens with manure from vegetarian beasts except
perhaps if you know the beast to be ill with a disease transmittable to
humans. In your case I'd be more concerned with viable weed seeds.
Posted by Ed on July 15, 2009, 11:26 am
On 15/07/09 16:12, brooklyn1 wrote:
>> I have a couple of large compost bins on my allotment which I regularly
>> fill with compostable materials from home, but this only accounts for a few
>> percent.
>>
>> For the most part, I go to the local riding stables where they bag up the
>> horse manure and leave it outside for people to take for free.
>>
>> In the winter time, when the horses are inside the stables, the mix is
>> heavy with straw and bedding. But now in the warmer months with the
>> horses outside , it is mainly stuff gathered straight off the paddock
>> areas where the horses pass their days.
>>
>> The thing is this. The bins are 4'x3'x3' and I just do not have the
>> energy or strength to turn them. So , in effect they are cold compost
>> heaps. I let the contents rot down over a 2 year period.
>>
>> But is there a danger that the pathogens in the horse dung will not die
>> off (as they would if I were operating a hot heap) and that my family
>> could become seriously ill if I use this composted material on my
>> vegetable plot even if it is 2 years old?
>>
>>
> There is no concern with pathogens with manure from vegetarian beasts except
> perhaps if you know the beast to be ill with a disease transmittable to
> humans. In your case I'd be more concerned with viable weed seeds.
>
>
Weeds aren't a great problem for me.. I got the time and I love weeding
most days. Most of my weeds anyway are in-blown from other plots so I
always expect them.
But thanks for the re-assurance on the pathogens though. I'd hate to
grow my own crops and then find I make my family ill.
Ed
Posted by Steve Peek on July 15, 2009, 1:48 pm
> On 15/07/09 16:12, brooklyn1 wrote:
>>> I have a couple of large compost bins on my allotment which I regularly
>>> fill with compostable materials from home, but this only accounts for a
>>> few percent.
>>>
>>> For the most part, I go to the local riding stables where they bag up
>>> the horse manure and leave it outside for people to take for free.
>>>
>>> In the winter time, when the horses are inside the stables, the mix is
>>> heavy with straw and bedding. But now in the warmer months with the
>>> horses outside , it is mainly stuff gathered straight off the paddock
>>> areas where the horses pass their days.
>>>
>>> The thing is this. The bins are 4'x3'x3' and I just do not have the
>>> energy or strength to turn them. So , in effect they are cold compost
>>> heaps. I let the contents rot down over a 2 year period.
>>>
>>> But is there a danger that the pathogens in the horse dung will not die
>>> off (as they would if I were operating a hot heap) and that my family
>>> could become seriously ill if I use this composted material on my
>>> vegetable plot even if it is 2 years old?
>>>
>>>
>> There is no concern with pathogens with manure from vegetarian beasts
>> except perhaps if you know the beast to be ill with a disease
>> transmittable to humans. In your case I'd be more concerned with viable
>> weed seeds.
> Weeds aren't a great problem for me.. I got the time and I love weeding
> most days. Most of my weeds anyway are in-blown from other plots so I
> always expect them.
> But thanks for the re-assurance on the pathogens though. I'd hate to grow
> my own crops and then find I make my family ill.
> Ed
Ed, your biggest concern should be whether or not the horse's paddock was
sprayed with a broadleaf herbicide. The herbicide will pass harmlessly
through the horse and wipe out you garden. Check with the source of your
manure, it would be heartbreaking to have that happen.
Cheers,
Steve
Posted by Sue on July 15, 2009, 8:21 pm
> Ed, your biggest concern should be whether or not the horse's paddock
> was sprayed with a broadleaf herbicide. The herbicide will pass
> harmlessly through the horse and wipe out you garden. Check with the
> source of your manure, it would be heartbreaking to have that happen.
Yes, indeed. Farmyard or stable manure is wonderful stuff if you can get
it, but there's one particular herbicide persisting in manure that has
caused quite serious problems for some allotmenteers and gardeners in
recent years. There's info on the RHS site:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0708/Weedkiller-manure.asp
It can also be quite difficult to actually find out if any particular
load is 'clean', unless the source can be absolutely certain that all
their feed and bedding is clear too, because of buying and selling of
hay and silage feed.
One case I know of locally happened where cattle manure from one farm
where they didn't use this stuff was affected, unbeknownst to the
farmer, due to contaminated feed and hay bought in from elsewhere.
--
Sue
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>fill with compostable materials from home, but this only accounts for a few
>percent.
> For the most part, I go to the local riding stables where they bag up the
> horse manure and leave it outside for people to take for free.
> In the winter time, when the horses are inside the stables, the mix is
> heavy with straw and bedding. But now in the warmer months with the
> horses outside , it is mainly stuff gathered straight off the paddock
> areas where the horses pass their days.
> The thing is this. The bins are 4'x3'x3' and I just do not have the
> energy or strength to turn them. So , in effect they are cold compost
> heaps. I let the contents rot down over a 2 year period.
> But is there a danger that the pathogens in the horse dung will not die
> off (as they would if I were operating a hot heap) and that my family
> could become seriously ill if I use this composted material on my
> vegetable plot even if it is 2 years old?