Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Manure and Compost
As we've seen in the composting chapter, manure should be composted first. It's great to
get different sources, but rabbit, chicken and horse manure are the highest in nitrogen.
Compost also supplies nitrogen. It's the manure, food scraps and fresh plant residue that
contribute most of this to the pile. Applying ½ yard (1/6 inch) of compost per 1,000 square
feet each year will give you a lot of nitrogen as well as phosphorus and potassium, slowly
released by microbes. You really need look no further than good compost for much of your
nitrogen needs.
Dean Craine of AgriEnergy Resources in Princeton, Illinois says an increase in soil or-
ganic matter of 1% to a depth of 40 inches brings 45 pounds of nitrogen per thousand
square feet. I'm not sure how he did his math, but it's a good example of how important it
is for us to focus on our organic matter. This kind of nitrogen doesn't all show up on a soil
test because it's bound up in organic molecules, not free in the soil as nitrate and ammoni-
um.
