Question from SM: Why shouldn't I put manure on my garden? Why is it a problem? What can I put on my garden?

Answer from Coastalfields:

Manure's pretty bad for your soil, your plants and your environment.

While manures vary in nutrient content according to the animal source and what the animal has been eating, generally, as a fertilizer, manure is low in the amount of nutrients it supplies. The highest nutritional concentration is found in manure when it is fresh, but is most dangerous then due to its high level of salts (the salts are the "nutrients"). As it is aged, exposed to weather, or composted, salt levels decline to a more tolerable level for the plants but nutrient content is reduced also.

The nutrient content of manure is imbalanced, and this leads to disease in your plants. Most fertilizers are used in order to promote a plant's growth, making it grow bigger than it would have on its own. In growing more rapidly than was natural, the plants are weakened in other ways: the uptake of nitrogen is not matched by the uptake of micronutrients. While these plants may produce bigger harvests, they are also at higher risk for disease or damage from insects, microorganisms, weather, or other factors. These plants are usually malnourished or with a nutrient deficiency due to the imbalanced nutrition they receive. Malnourished plants are less able to defend themselves against disease or predators. The higher yield that the fertilizers bring carries with it an increased risk of losing that yield from disease or damage. It also increases the costs necessary to secure that harvest, such as by making pesticide application or soil amendments necessary.

Besides adding too much salt (mainly in the form of nitrogen) to the soil, manure adds too much protein. Just as you would not feed your own gut too much protein for fear of toxemia, you should not feed your garden's soil too much protein: this encourages "bad" microorganisms that produce toxins while digesting the protein. Good soils (and good stomachs) have a greater amount of sugar than of protein. The sugar-loving (acid loving) bacteria do not produce toxins, while affixing nutrients from the atmosphere, providing balanced nutrition for your plants.

The best thing to add to your soil is nothing at all! If you allow all the weeds to grow, and practice good tillage techniques, your soil's "good" microorganisms will provide all the nutrition that the plants need.

How to till well:

* Till regularly in the aisles (once every week is not too often!) and whenever the bed is to be planted or just harvested.

* When tilling in the beds do not till (kill) keystone individuals or species: these are the plants, fungi or animals that are relied upon by many other creatures. Examples might be an alfalfa or pigweed bush that animals rely upon for shade; ant hills, bee nests and the homes of other agriculture-performing animals; or plants which have eggs laid on them.

* Till with a spade (shovel), a spading machine or any other equipment that a) does not produce a hardpan, b) digs down below the depth of most of the roots (usually 8-12 inches), and c) can till within an inch of plants.

* Till very close to plants: this will break the roots, allowing the plant to eat better and more.