Manure
Animal manure is rich in nutrients that make it a great organic fertilizer for your garden, and low-cost fertilizer and a wonderful way to utilize nutrients instead of creating a pile that is not getting used and could be harmful to water quality. All animal manures are good sources of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and other nutrients that plants need to thrive.
How to Compost (Manure)
Step 1:
Locate your pile on a flat site that doesn’t collect water and is away from your neighbors’ property lines and any open water. Plan for multiple piles to avoid contaminating composting piles with fresh manure and setting back the process.
Step 2:
Feed straw bedding through a chipper if possible to decrease the size of the particles. The smaller particles break down faster.
Step 3:
Layer bedding, manure to form a pile. Include and other materials such as grass clippings and fruit and vegetable scraps to balance large quantities of carbon-rich straw or wood chip bedding or dried leaves, shredded newspaper or sawdust to counteract too much nitrogen-rich manure.
Step 4:
Add to the pile until it is about 3 1/2 feet tall and from 5 to 7 feet square at the base. This is the optimum size for heat generation in a compost pile. Any larger or smaller, and the pile has a difficult time reaching the temperature necessary to kill any bacteria and pathogens in the manure that could lead to contaminated vegetables. The hotter the center of the pile, the more quickly it will break down, as well.
Step 5:
Turn the pile once a week during the first few weeks. Since most decomposition takes place in the hot center of the pile, this ensures that all parts of the pile eventually move into the center. The increase in airflow through the pile that turning allows also speeds decomposition.
Step 6:
Test the temperature at the center of the pile with a compost thermometer thereafter. Turn the pile when the temperature is either below 113 degrees Fahrenheit or above 149 F. When the temperature is too low, the pile decomposes slowly and doesn’t kill parasites or weed seeds; when it’s too high, the heat can kill the beneficial composting microorganisms, and the pile begins to smell.
Step 7:
Cover your pile with a large tarp between turnings to maintain the right amount of moisture. The pile should be barely moist, like a wrung-out sponge. Too much water can slow decomposition and make the pile smell, while not enough causes composting microorganisms to dry out.