[lilqueenie]

Hello - I have some horse manure (kindly donated from Jobi_wan!) and would like to use it in my veg-patch. All the books say to use 'well-rotted' manure. How long would I have to leave it to be 'well-rotted'?

Also - how do I rot it? Can I leave it in bags? Or is it best on the comnpost heap? Or a heap of it's own?

Any advice gladly accepted!

[torin8]

At least 6 months to be well rotted. In bags or in a heap (cover it with an old wool based carpet or a tarp) and it'll rot nicely.

[low_carbon]

Once it has rotted it will no longer smell. I'd put it in a heap to allow the worms to get busy. I also find it gets soggy and compacted left in bags.

[Sally A]

Start collecting now, stick it in a heap and it should be just right for the pre-winter dig in. It will also get a good selection of worms in it by then to help break up the soil over the colder months

[JoeP]

The rotting process is essentially aerobic, therefore you don't want it to be too compacted as that would stop the air getting in.

A 'loose heap' with a non-plastic covering will probably do the job.

[Sally A]

Agree JoeP, and nothing better than collecting it now out of season, so it's all rotted by autumn/winter, so you have a nice pile. Autumn/winter is when farmers double the price too