Week of September 12, 2021

TAProots Farm’s soil leaves much to be desired, as it consists of heavy clay, which turns to sticky mud when wet and rock solid when dry, with a pH of 4.5, highly acidic. To meet this challenge, we use a lot of organic additions like hay, peat moss, and compost, but the best solution is HORSE MANURE. Our neighbor to the south is a horse farm, currently housing two horses, one a Percheron and the Belgian, weighing more than 1500 pounds each. I am pleased to take away what they clean out of the stalls and paddock. These include well-rotted manure which is left for months to rot and a mix of wood shavings and horse apples from the horses’ stall bedding. The manure has been used for at least four projects. First, a huge pile of well rotted manure was spread out south of the berry patch to create a 75’ by 12’ bed Which can be tilled in the spring. A 75’ trellis was constructed and wire was strung for gourd vines, absolutely packed this year with gourds. A second project included a 75’ long trench which was dug, partially filled every manure, and planted with asparagus. After two years, it was weeded and added to with four more inches of well rotted manure, with incredible growth, possibly allowing harvest next year. The third project included the weeding of the flower bed next to the barn, with use of the wood-shavings for weed control in addition to nutrient value of the Horse Manure. Finally, a new raspberry bed is being readied for planting next spring, with current weed control and tilling, completed with a line of horse manure for tilling in during the spring. Manure clearly is a necessity for making up for the bad qualities of our soil, and works well in converting our heavy soil to rich top soil, Consequently, it is used extravagantly at the Farm, with almost all the plants benefitting from its amazing nutritional value.