Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

General discussion regarding the techniques and methods used to successfully grow tomato plants in containers.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old May 23, 2017   #1
bower
Tomatovillian™
 
bower's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,793
Default Would you be tempted to use horse manure in your container mix?

Happy my day when out of the blue a pickup load of horse manure was delivered to my garden. Last week I bought a scoop of peat from my supplier, which was exciting work to bag up and carry home in the back of the car (two trips!). I also have a half dozen bags of their compost on hand with the plan of mixing compost and peat for my containers. It is not enough compost by any stretch, and it would be cheaper to buy by the scoop once again and bag it and haul it myself. $60 and a hard afternoon's work.

Soooo... yes it's true. The sight of that horse manure made me think, what if I used that instead of the lovely finished compost. What do you think? Crazy bad idea?
I can tell you that it's fresh enough to smell like a horse, but overall fairly well rotted. There is lots of straw visible though and fine wood chips too from the stable. Worms galore, but also quite a few little flies. Still I am tempted....
Attached Images
File Type: jpg horse-pile.JPG (314.3 KB, 223 views)
bower is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #2
Worth1
Tomatovillian™
 
Worth1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
Default

I think it would turn into a sewer if it wasn't fully finished.
But I'm no expert and could be way off.
Worth
Worth1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #3
Labradors2
Tomatovillian™
 
Labradors2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,886
Default

Hmmm. I read somewhere that it should have no smell if it is aged enough. Interestingly, the aged cow manure that I get from the farm has NO worms in it! Presumably, they have done their job and moved on to other delicacies, so perhaps the presence of worms also indicates that your horse manure isn't ready yet

I would play it safe and keep the manure for next year.....

Linda
Labradors2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #4
Worth1
Tomatovillian™
 
Worth1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
Default

You could top dress.
Worth
Worth1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #5
bower
Tomatovillian™
 
bower's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,793
Default

I had some similar quality manure from the same guy last year which I did dig into the containers and it did no harm. Except the mix I was using last year was so unsuitable in the first place, anything to lighten it up was a good thing. And of course digging in 'a bit' is not the same as mixing it 50 50 with peat... I think you guys are right. Sigh.....
I should probably use the manure to build a new garlic bed for the fall.
Sooo... guess I gotta go pay up and haul the compost too.
Thank you for stopping me from my crazed lazy plan.
bower is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #6
Worth1
Tomatovillian™
 
Worth1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
Default

I have heard of people planting directly in it once it stops cooking.
Why not try just one to see what happens.
Worth
Worth1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #7
agee12
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Georgia
Posts: 195
Default

As others have mentioned, the issue is not that it is horse manure rather it's whether or not the manure has been properly aged/composted.
agee12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #8
bower
Tomatovillian™
 
bower's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,793
Default

It's a good idea, Worth, to try just ONE !. Or maybe try it on my 'extras' if /when I run out of the good stuff (which I still will have to get - but a scoop is quite a bit.)
Being a little warm doesn't worry me - that's on the plus side, considering the weather. A bit of a 'tomato root hotbed' would be great. I don't really think it's raw enough to hurt them..
OTOH, I would hate to 'learn a lesson' on the whole tomato crop for the year. Been a bit too much of that lately.
bower is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #9
AlittleSalt
BANNED FOR LIFE
 
AlittleSalt's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 13,333
Default

I agree with letting it age some more. When it's lightweight and dry - it's ready. There won't be any smell either.
AlittleSalt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #10
Worth1
Tomatovillian™
 
Worth1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
Default

There was a guy here that said in Great Britain they would put a thermometer in it.
When the temperature when down they planted tomatoes in it.

Worth
Worth1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #11
Nematode
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: massachusetts
Posts: 1,710
Default

Try one tomato in it as a bio-assay.
Most hay fields are sprayed with 2-4-d, which passes right through the horse.
Tomato is exquisitely sensetive to this chemical.
Nematode is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #12
bower
Tomatovillian™
 
bower's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,793
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nematode View Post
Try one tomato in it as a bio-assay.
Most hay fields are sprayed with 2-4-d, which passes right through the horse.
Tomato is exquisitely sensetive to this chemical.
That sucks!!
bower is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #13
bower
Tomatovillian™
 
bower's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,793
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Worth1 View Post
There was a guy here that said in Great Britain they would put a thermometer in it.
When the temperature when down they planted tomatoes in it.

Worth
This is much like the hotbed idea. I've never done it but it sounds... perfect for this fickle climate!! However it's for seedlings under glass, afaict, otherwise the heat just dissipates.
Wonder what would happen with a layer in the bottom of the container...
hotbeds are cool!
http://www.holon.se/garden/howto/hotbed_en.shtml
bower is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #14
dmforcier
Tomatovillian™
 
dmforcier's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 3,825
Default

Drat! Worth stole my thermometer idea. I'd moisten it up and see if it's willing to cook some more. Otherwise add a little, but not as a major component. You got perlite?
__________________


Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out?
- Will Rogers


dmforcier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 23, 2017   #15
Nematode
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: massachusetts
Posts: 1,710
Default

If it tastes tangy its ready.
Nematode is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:02 PM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★