Are you adding a new garden area or just looking to improve the soil in your existing garden spot? We are adding another garden area and looking for ways to amend the soil. One of the things we use is animal waste, mostly rabbit and chicken manure. We work hard to use chemical free fertilizers and I might be oversharing, but we seem to have an abundance of manure around here! So, Ron spreads it in the garden areas. We amend new garden beds with it, we topcoat some plants with it. It’s nice to know that there is a use for animal manure and for the most part it’s free. If you are in need, just ask around and you will probably find someone willing to share with you.
There is a Difference in Manures
If you are new to using animal manure in your garden beds there are differences in when and how to use the manure.
Chicken
Chicken manure is called a hot manure, it needs to rest before you use it around your plants. It can kill your garden plants because the concentration of nutrients may be too high for plants and burn them. We use chicken manure off season, spreading it around and rototilling it into the garden beds.
Rabbit
Rabbit manure is a cold manure and it safe to use around most plants without it resting for a season. We normally toss some in the hole we dig to plant our veggie plants. Our bunnies, Ricky & Lucy, (Here is a picture of Lucy, isn’t she cute!) are set in cages that are about waist high and under their cages we put small kiddie pools and other various plastic type containers to catch the poo. It is easy to grab and use when we are ready for it.
THE INSIDE SCOPE…
Want to get to know Ricky & Lucy a little better? Check it out here.
Well, I’m hoping the conversation about animal manure was interesting. I’ll know you are a true gardener if you made it all the way through the blog.
Here is to your homesteading dreams,
Shawn
