What do you do with your muck?

[Magicmillbrook]

Ah! MASTER CAUTION ALARM!

I've been a prodigeous consumer of horse products and used to spread it far and wide - it's wonderful stuff - or rather used to be.

Since the Dow Chemical Company manufactured ammonium cyprilid (sp) in it's various forms - it can't be used for gardens. Not even several years after composting.

This chemical is the constituent part of many selective weedkillers for use on grass - it passes clean through horses and cows relatively untouched and doesn't do them any noticeable harm however; it's potency remains in the compost and will kill most plants except grass.

I discovered this after using Grazon 90. My tomatoes and artichokes withered at the top. I am very careful what I use now. We have 4 horses, use a lot on our own and families gardens, We used to advertise as free to collector in our parish newsletter and spread remainder on the fields, usually when the ground is nice and frozen. Its been so wet this year that we haven't been able to and will probably have to have it removed. Up North Norfolk way (posh) it is sold on the roadside for up to £1 per bag! We don't get much passing trade.

 

[HashRouge]

My YO isn't allowed a muck heap because of where her farm is (don't ask, something to do with the Peak District National Park but I don't know if it applies everywhere) and they hire a skip for the muck which is then removed when full and the muck is disposed of by the skip hire company. I don't know how much they pay to have this done and it probably wouldn't be viable for a large livery yard, but there are only 4 horses where we are so it works really well. I don't know if that would be an option for you?