Is Horse Manure Good For Gardens

Last updated on March 25th, 2023 at 09:52 pm

Is Horse Manure Good for Gardens?

When it comes to fertilizing your garden, there’s not much that beats pure manure. Synthetic fertilizers probably have higher nutrient contents than most manures and are readily available at your local garden shop. But nothing beats natural, old-fashioned manure. Manure provides organic materials that help build soil structure, which synthetic fertilizers are unable to do. 

What’s the best manure for gardens? Horse manure and cow manure. Horse manure is easy to blend into your soil, it generally has high nutrient content, and it can help the plants in your garden grow better. This is especially true for roses. If you’re interested in learning all about horse manure fertilization, you’ve come to the right place. 

You may also like – Is Horse Manure Good For Roses?

What Does Manure Do in a Garden?

When you have a garden, organic matter is breaking down all the time inside the soil. Eventually, the soil in your garden gets depleted. The soil that’s leftover is not as good at supporting life because it’s basically all used up. By adding horse manure to a garden, more organic material is integrated into the soil, allowing the soil in your garden to house life once again. 

Inside your soil there are microorganisms that break down minerals and organic matter into food for plants to eat. You need a healthy soil filled with bugs and minerals and organisms in order to grow healthy plants without using chemicals. Horse manure helps make this happen. Horse manure revitalizes soil in a harden, promotes healthy growth, and allows you to continue growing your favorite plants.

What Kind of Horse Manure Should I Use in My Garden?

You always want to use composted horse manure in your garden. This means you don’t want to take fresh manure and simply dump it into your garden, otherwise all the concentrated nutrients could burn your plants. This is especially true for raw sheep manure, which is actually bad for gardens and can burn seedlings and prevent seed germination. 

Plus, raw manure stinks and attracts flies. Raw manure also contains pathogens that will probably make you sick. There are often seeds in raw manure too, which can pollute your garden. You always want to use composted horse manure because it’s the safest and healthiest thing to add to your garden. 

What about Weed Seeds?

Horses and cows will both eat weeds when they are grazing, weed seeds can even be in hay. It is important to know that weed seeds will pass through the digestive system and be present in the manure. Sometimes the composting process with kill these weed seeds and sometimes it won’t. Be on the look out for weeds as your garden grows. Weed Seeds can also be present in chicken manure so be careful if you have backyard chickens.

Where Do You Get Composted Horse Manure for a Garden?

Becasue we live on an equestrian centre – Blazing Hearts Ranch – we have an abundance of manure, in fact we have to find creative ways to get rid of it. Horse owners will be a great source for you, and will likely give it to you for free. Composting horse manure isn’t always front of mind for horse owners, but you can definitely make a deal with them and find out where the oldest stuff is. it’s a very suitable and inexpensive fertilizer.

Your best bet for picking up composted horse manure is going to be your local farmer. Most farmers compost their horse manure and are happy to give it away. Other farmers produce their own composted manure and sell it in bags. Purchasing locally produced composted material of any kind, including horse manure, is a great way to support your local community and keep your garden fresh. 

If you don’t live near any farms, you could always purchase composted horse manure at your local garden center. Be sure that you check the nutrient content on the bag before making the purchase. You always want the best manure money can buy!

Why Should I Put Horse Manure on My Garden?

Horse manure is good for gardens because it contains organic material. When this organic material is applied to plants in your garden, it helps them to grow quickly and become stronger. This has a lot to do with the fact that horse manure is rich in nitrogen, something that really helps non-flowering plants to grow big and healthy. 

These plants include corn, potatoes, lettuce, garlic, and the grass of your lawn. What horse manure doesn’t work well with are plants like tomatoes and peppers. If you want to use horse manure with flowering plants, be sure to mix it with compost first.

Composted horse manure is the best for any garden. Composted horse manure does not require any special prepping to make work. Simply scatter the manure over your garden and then blend it into your soil. This type of manure will help with roses, shrubs, and everything else in your garden. 

How Long Do You Have to Wait to Use Horse Manure?

When composting your own horse manure to use with your garden, it can be a long and complicated process. On average, it takes about two to three months to properly compost horse manure. 

How do you know when horse manure compost is ready? Two main things. First, the horse manure compost will look more like soil than just a bunch of horse poop. Secondly, the soil won’t stink like raw manure anymore. At this point, you are pretty safe to start using your homemade horse manure in your garden. 

Hot composting horse manure is a great way to speed up the process and go from bad manure to good manure.

How Much Horse Manure Should I Put in My Garden?

There isn’t really a rule on just how much horse manure you should put in your garden. Some people say one pound per square foot, and that’s a pretty reasonable estimate. What’s more important than just how much horse manure you put in your garden is when you put it in your garden. 

Be sure that you add horse manure compost to your garden at least 60 days before intending to harvest your crop. This is enough time for the horse manure compost to do its job as a fertilizer. 

When adding horse manure to your garden, simply sprinkle the manure as you would with any other compost fertilizer and blend gently into the topsoil. This will give you the best results.

What is the Best Manure for a Vegetable Garden?

Speaking specifically about vegetable gardens, horse manure isn’t actually the best you can get. Horse manure is definitely awesome for vegetable gardens. However, it’s generally agreed that the best manure to put inside your vegetable garden is a special blend of cow dung and composted manure, which farmers and gardeners call black gold. 

Even stranger is that some people recommend using rabbit droppings or even llama droppings. Rabbit droppings contain plant nutrients, and this in low doses helps to fertilize without overwhelming plant roots. This is great for a vegetable garden. 

Rabbit droppings and cow dung are both easy to get, and so is horse manure. You might have a tougher time trying to find llama fertilizer!

Horse Manure For Gardens FAQ

Can I put horse manure straight on the garden?

No, it is not recommended to put fresh horse manure straight onto the garden or directly around plants. This type of horse manure contains high levels of nitrogen, ammonia, and salts, which can burn plant roots and cause them to die. Additionally, fresh manure can attract flies and other pests, and can also emit an unpleasant odour.

Instead, it is recommended to age or compost horse manure for at least 6 months to a year before using it as a soil amendment or fertilizer. During the composting process, the manure should be turned regularly to ensure that it is adequately aerated and heated. This helps to kill harmful bacteria and break down the organic matter in the manure, making it safer and more beneficial for plants.

Once the horse manure has been properly composted, it can be used as a soil amendment to improve soil fertility and structure, or as a fertilizer to provide nutrients to plants. It is best to mix the composted manure with soil or other organic matter before applying it to the garden.

How long before you can use fresh horse manure?

Fresh horse manure should be aged or composted before it can be safely used in gardens or on crops. This is because fresh manure contains high levels of nitrogen, ammonia, and salts, which can burn plant roots and cause them to die.

The length of time required for fresh horse manure to age or compost depends on various factors, such as the size of the manure pile, the moisture content, and the temperature. In general, it is recommended to age or compost horse manure for at least 6 months to a year before using it as a soil amendment or fertilizer.

During the horse manure composting process, the manure should be turned regularly to ensure that it is adequately aerated and heated. This helps to kill harmful bacteria and break down the organic matter in the manure, making it safer and more beneficial for plants.

In summary, it is not recommended to use fresh horse manure in gardens or on crops. It should be aged or composted for at least 6 months to a year before use.

Is horse manure better than cow manure?

Both horse manure and cow manure can be beneficial for soil fertility and plant growth. However, there are some differences between the two that may make one better than the other depending on the specific needs of your garden or farm.

Horse manure typically contains higher levels of nitrogen than cow manure, making it a better choice for plants that require lots of nitrogen, such as leafy greens and vegetables. Horse manure also tends to have a lower C:N (carbon to nitrogen) ratio than cow manure, which means it decomposes more quickly and releases nutrients more readily.

On the other hand, cow manure has a higher C:N ratio, which makes it a better choice for plants that prefer a lower-nitrogen environment, such as fruit trees and shrubs. Cow manure also contains more phosphorus and potassium than horse manure, which can be beneficial for flowering and fruit production.

Ultimately, the best type of manure for your garden or farm will depend on a variety of factors, including the types of plants you are growing, the soil conditions, and the availability of different types of manure in your area. It’s always a good idea to have your soil tested and to consult with a local expert to determine the best approach for your specific situation.

What vegetables do not like horse manure?

While horse manure can be a beneficial source of nutrients for many types of vegetables, some plants may be sensitive to the high levels of nitrogen and salts found in fresh horse manure. In general, it is best to avoid using fresh horse manure on plants that are sensitive to these conditions.

Here are some examples of vegetables that may not thrive with fresh horse manure:

1. Root vegetables: Carrots, parsnips, and other root vegetables may be adversely affected by fresh horse manure, which can cause the roots to become forked or misshapen.
2. Brassicas: Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and other members of the brassica family may be sensitive to high levels of nitrogen, which can result in excessive leaf growth and reduced head size.
3. Peppers and tomatoes: While these plants may benefit from some nitrogen, too much can result in excessive leaf growth at the expense of fruit production.
4. Beans and peas: Fresh horse manure can sometimes cause these legumes to develop leafy growth at the expense of pod production.

It is important to note that aged or composted horse manure is generally considered safe for all types of vegetables, as the composting process helps to break down the nitrogen and reduce the salt content.