An Optimistic Practice

 9/11/11
2nd Use from Manure to Optimism 

My neighbor and I were loading up a full load of manure in his truck for our garden beds when he said, gardening is the most optimistic practice I know of, you are always looking to next year.

This I am sure was inspired by the load in the back being for improving the beds for the next year’s crop.

These were welcome words considering the date.

Two happy guys with a truck load of horse poo. I am on the right with Mike to the left. You can see the tools of choice in our hands.    

The pitchforks are good for wet poo,and grain shovels are a better choice for dryer poo.

My preference is horse manure because horses are given better feed and less antibiotics.  
The poo was aged and dry with no ammonia smell, which means it was ready for top coating the beds.

First I removed the weeds from the fallow

Then I put on some brown paper I had to help keep down the weeds

I then put on about three inches of manure top dressed. I also put down manure with out paper to compare results in the spring to see if the paper impacts weed growth. Now next spring I can simply aerate with a digging fork and plant.