Is all-natural farm manure right for your garden? Could be. But manure
is one of those rare things that is better when it is NOT so fresh, as
I remind the reader who e-mailed me this question:
QUESTION: My husband owns a landscape materials business and has had a
hard time getting “supersoil”. We have access to a large amount of
horse manure and were wondering if you can make your own supersoil
with manure? It sure would help him out if there is a way! Thanks!
Kate
ANSWER: It’s difficult to think of a more “natural” substance than
manure! Manure is certainly a great resource for gardeners and
landscapers, but you do need to know a few basics to get the best
results. Here is a link that will give you more information on using
manure around your plants: http://www.ruralheritage.com/back_forty/manure.h=
tm
Manure's carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is a key factor in making nitrogen
available to plants, because it drives microbial decomposition. As
Alina Rice, the author of that Web article points out, before putting
manure on your soil, make sure it is well decomposed. Let the microbes
fight it out while the manure sits in a steaming pile. Well decomposed
manure has a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of between 15-to-1 and 20-to-1,
depending on what the animal has been eating.
A word of warning from Cornell University’s Department of
Horticulture: “Homeowners should not use any manure from dogs, cats,
or other meat-eating animals, since there is risk of parasites or
disease organisms that can be transmitted to humans.”
Again, if you are thinking of using manure in your garden, I advise
you to read the online Rural Heritage article. You can click on a
direct link when you find this column at my Web site, www.landsteward.org
Here is question I responded to at the end of last winter. With frost
once again threatening much of the country, I thought it might be the
right time to include it in this week’s column.
QUESTION: “I am hoping that you can help me out. I have never had any
plants hit by frost but this year it got a lot of my plants. I was
wondering, will my tomato plants survive the frost or should I pull
them up and replant? It also got my potato vines. Will this hurt my
potatoes? My tomato plants are still standing (some of them anyway)
but they have a lot of browned leaves. Please let me know if you have
any ideas on helping me out. Thanks for your time.” – Candy Dove
ANSWER: Generally, as long as the vegetable sets have had a bit of a
chance to root in, they usually come out of frost nips. However,
extended cold periods can cause freeze damage and kill the plants. As
long as air has movement, frost damage isn’t as likely.
Also, if you know that there is going to be frost the next morning,
you can either water the plants heavily including the soil at the base
of the plants (the water acts like an insulator) or cover them with an
old sheet or something similar, forming a sort of tent and making sure
that the fabric doesn’t touch the plants. Damage from frost doesn’t
happen until the following morning. Do NOT spray water on plants the
morning after a frost in an attempt to wash the frost off.
Once the frost has passed, clip off any browning leaves or branches of
plants. Sometimes this can take a few days to show up. Most vegetable
plants, though tender, are really quite tough when it comes to frosts.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs
and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and
additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.o=
rg
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