Manure

Methane is 20 times worse as a greenhouse than CO2 i.e. it is 20 times 'better' at trapping heat.
If methane is harvested and burned to produce energy it produces CO2 as would any carbon based fuel, but by using it as a fuel you've reduced its global warming impact by a factor of 20.
Obviously piping methane from cattle is a tad difficult but methane recovery from cattle slurry and human garbage sites is feasible and is now being achieved albeit on a limited scale.

 

Leavingtons manure golfer.
Not come across it, although they do have a compost with John Innes mixed in, which I think is pretty good.

 

I would go for the horse manure with wood shavings. Thats what I did recently. I got it from a riding stable. I dug into the pile to take the oldest stuff from the bottom. Its all good organic material. And I am not sure why wood shavings are any worse than a wood chip mulch, which many will recommend.

You could always use a large builders merchant bag and fill it up(in your garden - you can't move it) with that manure and allow it to compost for a year before you use it. It will also be the cheapest treatment.

 

Golfer asked Has anyone used chicken pellets and are they any good??? direct answer yes and yes.
I asked about (levingtons manure) in a bag mixed with compost etc has anyone used this product and is it any good???. answer "no not me"
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Going back to an earlier post, what horsey people call 'shavings', i.e.equine bedding, is more like course sawdust. I've used loads of it as mulch and the wood content breaks down quite readily. I was told not to use it years ago because the wood attracts wood lice? I can only say I've not had that problem.

With horses that are stabled most of the time (esp in the winter)you can end up with mostly bedding and very little equipoo but it's still good as an additive for your compost heap to bulk it out. Summertime is better for contacting stables as they will be clearing the neat stuff off their paddocks and will be wanting to be rid of it.

Whatever you get, it's not very rich as plant food but excellent for mulching and soil conditioning. I usually build up the midden during winter, let it do it's stuff all through summer, then late autumn turn it and cover it, leave it a few weeks and then reap the benifits.

 

Sound advice terrier. Also, when you add manure to your compost heap it acts like a starter, adding the heat and bacteria needed to compost the material down. Another thing, stables have to pay huge amounts of money to get rid of this manure, so if you are able to go and collect what you need, I am sure they will welcome you with open arms.

 

The stables at the end of our road sell their manure for 50p per bag already bagged up I haven't try it yet but I'm sure I will, they even have an honesty box which in this day and age is quite sweet to have.
Helen.xxx.

 

The reason they make a charge manure is that if it was free, people would think it was no good and wouldn't take it. Because they make a charge for it, then it must be good so people will buy it. I ususally grow honesty in the hedgerow, not in a box.

 

I would think that is the best policy Terrier :D

 

The 'stuff' must be good because just up the road from the stables is an alloment site and I'm pretty sure the guys and girls spend some of their time walking backwards and forewards with a wheelbarrow full of the stuff...bless their little cotton socks!
Helen.xxx.

 

Hi folks. Having not long moved in to our new house, I was pleasantly surprised to see several piles of `muck` in a field no more than maybe 300 yds away! I also ran into the farmer that owns the field a few days later. He wants �£20 a load which seems pretty good to me considering the size of the heap. The only problem is, I live in a terrace ! You reckon `she who must be obeyed` is going to mind me dragging it through the house ? :D Cheers...freddy.

 

Lend SWMBO your credit card and send her shopping, then while she's out ... what the eye doesn't see... :D

 

Ahhh......good old retail therapy, gets `em every time :D