Plant Doctor Archive

Horse manure for the garden

A FARMER down the road sells horse manure in bags. Can I use this on my garden around my veges or does it need to go in the compost first?

HORSE manure is an excellent source of organic matter for the garden. How you use it depends on how well rotted it is when you get it. In bags, it's likely to be quite well rotted.

In the vegetable garden the best way to use it is to dig it into the soil in winter, burying it below the surface, so it's well decomposed by the time you come to spring planting. Don't plant root crops like carrots in areas where you've recently applied the manure, as it can lead to deformed roots. Grow leafy crops like courgettes, lettuce or tomatoes for the first season, then plant root crops once the manure has totally broken down. You can also add it to your compost heap if you wish, especially if it's fresh manure straight from the stables.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.