Do you bury compost/mulch/manure?

Do you guys bury your compost/mulch/manure when you are adding it to a plot, or do you just leave it on top?

I'm not sure whether to bury it, mix it in a little with a pitchfork, or just leave it on top of the soil.

Compost and manure I usually mix in, mulch I leave on top.

I have sometimes had a big load of half-finished compost and buried it below a new garden plot with good results.

I don't have livestock (with the exception of the rabbit litter in compost) so I don't use manure. I often top dress plants with finished compost, but it can be spread on top or mixed into the soil. More and more as I dip my toe into the realm of no till, I think I will merely be adding organic materials on top and let nature take it's course....just as it does in open fields and the forest floor.

I used to burry it or work it into the top foot of soil. Now I just spread a layer on top and let it soak in on its own time. If you are tilling your beds, I would spread a layer and till it in, then once the bed is ready for planting I would spread a second layer as a top dressing, after planting I then add a thick layer of mulch. I have become a firm believer in the No-Till method and do not turn over ground anymore. I do use a broad fork to loosen the soil and normally I spread a layer of compost before I go through with the broad fork, then spread a top dressing afterwards.

Manure goes in my compost bin unless it's very well aged.
I pull old mulch off the bed, spread compost on top of the soil and throw the mulch back on, topping it up if needed.

I'm heading in the direction of no till, reserving the tiller for any new rock hard ground earthworks. I've wondered (and thinking out loud) about using a broad fork, but I wonder if this too upsets fungi threads and may be counter productive. I think with enough cover, given time, you might be able to plant with little/no soil disturbance ... time will tell!

Bryant RedHawk wrote:I used to burry it or work it into the top foot of soil. Now I just spread a layer on top and let it soak in on its own time. If you are tilling your beds, I would spread a layer and till it in, then once the bed is ready for planting I would spread a second layer as a top dressing, after planting I then add a thick layer of mulch. I have become a firm believer in the No-Till method and do not turn over ground anymore. I do use a broad fork to loosen the soil and normally I spread a layer of compost before I go through with the broad fork, then spread a top dressing afterwards.

When I use aged manure, I leave it on top. Then I mulch over the top of that. I have relegated the tiller to only use when breaking open an area that is too hard to loosen by hand. I no longer favor turning the soil.

Grow it if you have it!