Homestead mailing list

[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

Gene writes:


> I strongly suspect that even on this homestead list, a very low percentage 
> of gardeners use humanure as fertilizer.
> 
> 

Only because we don't have to.  But things will change.   There are some 
dozen or so large horse stables here about and all of them have these huge 
mountains of manure and barn litter they can't get rid of.  One is eight 
miles from 
here and last year I hauled 15 tons of seven or eight year old manure to the 
gardens half a ton at a time.  This year I've done five tons and continuing 
unabated.  The stuff is a clay farmer's dream - very high carbon content from 
the 
wood shavings used as bedding and since this horse operation has a large show 
arena, much the manure is mixed with fine silica sand.  And the place is 
delighted to be getting rid of it. 

As long as gas prices allow me to continue hauling it, I plan to accomodate 
them.  It is vastly improving the condition of my garden soils.

But it's only available to me because no one else wants it.  If only a score 
of other small scale farmers wanted as much manure as I'm using, it would be 
beyond my reach.  I'm not concerned, just a few more years of soil 
improvement 
and my own supply of manures from horse, donkey, cow, goats, chickens, 
rabbits 
and such along with compost and mulch available at hand will easily maintian 
the fertility.  But it does point out that natural gas derived nitrogen 
fertilizer aside, our supply of fertilizers is very - very limited weighed 
against 
all the food that needs growing.  At some point humanure will be a fact for 
all 
of us as well.

James