What better way to spend a sun-filled winter afternoon than to play around in the compost pile?
A tad chilly even with the sun shining but guaranteed you will work up a sweat turning that pile. Great calorie burner for those extra pounds that have snuck their way onto the waistline.
John spent part of one such sunny day raking the pile of compost from one of the three bins in our compost unit out onto the lawn. Just enough of the pile until he reached "the good stuff"...the decomposed garden debris and kitchen waste now turned into "black gold."
Next step was to screen that decomposed compost into the "finished bin" of our compost unit.
Screening completed, the unfinished compost on the lawn was forked back into the bin from whence it came and covered over again to do some more cooking. The screened soil was covered too...but not before we had admired its rich dark colour.
We of such simple pleasures...but when this nutrient-rich compost is destined for the vegetable garden the anticipation of the bounty we will reap come summer is nothing short of mouth-watering.
For those who are not making their own compost...or cannot generate enough to amend their whole garden area...a good alternative is composted manure.
The selection includes cow, horse, sheep, goats, chicken and rabbit manures, all of which have slightly varying levels of the Big Three - nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) - plus a good smattering of micronutrients.
Understand, the nutrient N,P,K levels will fluctuate due to the diet and age of the animals. Here is the break-down listed in order (N-P-K)...rabbit: 2.4-1.4-0.60; chicken: 1.1-0.80-0.50; sheep: 0.70-0.30-0.90; horse: 0.70-0.30-0.60; steer: 0.70-0.30-0.40; dairy cow: 0.25-0.15-0.25.
(Source: Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, An Illustrated Guide to Organic Gardening.)
Rabbit manure rates highest in nitrogen. It also has a good amount of phosphorous, important for flower and fruit production.
Chicken manure is a "hot" manure. It must be aged for a period before adding to the garden or it will burn your plants.
Sheep manure is another "hot" manure...very rich but rather dry. The nutrient levels are lower in the manure from sheep fed a grass-fed diet over a grain and hay diet.
Horse manure. Another "hot" one. Since what goes into a horse's mouth takes a fast journey to the other end, it is full of weed seeds. Needs to be "hot composted" before using in the garden.
Steer manure is an old standby but it too can contain some weed seeds.
And cow, or dairy, manure. To quote Ann Lovejoy, an organic gardener and writer in Seattle: "Dairy manure may be the single most useful soil-builder around." Washed dairy manure from healthy cows is just about perfect for garden use; it can be used as a top dressing and for soil improvement."
It is a better choice over steer manure. Because of its lower nutrient numbers, some consider cow manure to be safe for use in unlimited quantities.
Well...yes and no in regards to this last statement.
Without exception, all manures must be well-aged before applying any of them to a garden...particularly the vegetable garden. Some resources state a six-month aging period, others up to a two years. I prefer three years, personally.
Ensuring your manure pile is generating sufficient heat during its composting process... 65.5 degrees Celsius (151 degrees Fahrenheit)...means those weeds and other pathogens are taken care of where they should be and not winding up in your garden.
Special note to pet owners: keep your cat and dog out of the garden. There are pathogens in their feces that can be transmitted to humans.
Burning of calories aside...it is important to "feed" the soil for the health of your plants and early spring is an excellent time for this chore. But please be sure to regulate all strenuous exercise until you are back into regular "gardening shape."
Leslie Cox co-owns Growing Concern Cottage Garden in Black Creek. Her column appears every second Friday.
