Sergio Cunha wrote:Hi Kate!
Welcome!
I have a question: Can I direct compost cow manure? I live in a tropical country. My neighbor has one cow and allows me to take his cow manure. I've tried to make hot composting but turning it is too straining on my back so I'd like to make direct compost with that manure.
Thank you!
Hi Sergio,
You might like to give sheet composting a go with the cow manure. Here's an edited extract from my book The
Compost Coach which explains the process
Sheet composting is an in-situ horizontal composting method that’s sometimes referred to as
lasagne compost. It’ is a slow (cold) aerobic style of compost made on the earth. I think it’s a wonderful style of compost creation for a number of reasons:
• It can be added to a little at a time as organic matter becomes available from your kitchen, garden or
local community.
• It can be used in both small or large gardens and in raised beds.
• It helps to smother weeds and “‘grows”’ soil right where you need it.
• It’s a cost- effective way to expand a garden.
• It’s a practical and easy way to decompose a lot of garden waste, materials such as grass clippings, prunings, and pulled out spent plants.
As the compost pile can be positioned directly on top of your
lawn. This style of composting is quite like no- dig
gardening as it can be positioned directly on top of your lawn. Where these styles differ is that, instead of using finished compost in the
garden bed, in sheet composting you’ are actually making the compost in the garden bed from scratch using alternate layers of carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich materials. These layers will smother the grass and build fertility.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to sheet compost:
1. It’ is best started at the beginning of autumn, as because it the material can take up to 6 six months to decompose. By Spring you
should be able to plant straight into the garden bed.
2. Decide where you want your sheet compost to go. You can apply it directly onto bare soil or onto your lawn.
3. If you’re sheeting composting over a lawn, prepare the site by doing a short mow or removing any persistent weeds by hand.
4. Sprinkle an organic fertiliser over the area to
feed any remaining weeds and grass, and
water well. (You might be thinking ‘WHAT?! Why would I you want to feed and water the weeds and grass I’m aiming to eradicate?’ Well, the reason why this step is important is that it helps to encourages them to grow, and then they’ll rot more quickly underneath the layers of
carbon.)
5. Now place down overlapping cardboard on the ground to prevent photosynthesis and to kill the grass and weeds below. If you have invasive grasses like kikuyu or couch growing in your lawn, make sure you apply the cardboard or newspaper generously. Make sure there aren’t any are no holes and with all plastic tape removed on the cardboard, otherwise- this is important as the layers of cardboard won’t bind together, and if plastic tape is left on, which means the weeds may grow through. You can also use thick layers of newspaper (at least eight sheets). This needs to overlap by a couple of centimetres so that the weeds or grass underneath cannot push through.
This thick carbon layer will prevent photosynthesis and kill the grass and weeds below. If you have invasive grasses like kikuyu or couch growing in your lawn, make sure you apply the cardboard or newspaper generously. You must be sure that there are absolutely no gaps left between the layers to prevent advantageous plants growing through.
6. Thoroughly wet this foundation layer, and then cover it with a 3-cm (1-inch) deep layer of nitrogen-rich ingredients (like such as manure or chopped green plant materials.
7. Cover the nitrogen layer with a 3-cm (1-inch) deep layer of carbon-rich ingredients (such as brown leaves,
straw, shredded newspaper, ripped paper, aged sawdust, or
wood chips) etc.
8. Apply
enough water to make the organic matter moist, but not soaking.
9. Repeat this layering process as materials become available. For the juicy nitrogen layers, you can use kitchen scraps (if rodents or scavengers are not a problem in your yard), green garden waste like (such as plant clippings and hedge trimmings cut or chipped into small pieces), cafe
coffee grounds, weeds without seeds, grass clippings, pelletised
chicken manure, fresh animal manure, or seaweed (this list is not exhaustive - – get creative!). Always make sure that you top off your nitrogen with a dry, fibrous, carbon layer to prevent flies from becoming a problem.
10. The height of this bed will vary, depending on the volume of materials you have available. You do need a minimum of 50 cm (20-inch) of inputs to provide enough bulk to plant into when it has all decomposed.
11. The bed needs to be kept moist to allow for speedy microbial decomposition, but if you live in a rainy area then you may need to cover your bed with a tarpaulin for a period of time to prevent the ingredients from getting too wet and becoming anaerobic.
12. The bed is ready for planting when there are no longer any recognisable layers, and it has all turned into crumbly compost that smells like a forest floor. You’ll need to be patient as this can take up to six months, or longer if the weather is dry.
If you’re feeling impatient and want to start planting out the bed a bit earlier, then you can cover the decomposing layers with a 5cm (2-inch) layer of cured compost and plant directly into this. Alternatively, if you don’t have this amount of compost available you can dig into the top layers and add pockets of cured compost at a depth of 5cm and plant into these areas. Make sure you do not puncture the carbon foundation layer, otherwise weeds will grow back through.
13. One final point - – make sure you manage the edge of sheet- composted beds, as because running grasses and creeping weeds on the periphery will want to sneak back in.
Hope this helps
Kate
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