Compost preparation question

[MuseRider]

Guess it is that time again, the time when we all get to thinking hard about our gardens and getting impatient that it is too frozen to do much. I know I am, we are going to really get it right this year since last year was a last minute, haphazard effort at the new place.

I have tons, and I mean tons of manure that I have been collecting from my 7 horses. It makes great amendment but it seems to be in two forms. It is either very old and wonderful, like black black dirt (that is almost gone) or it is composted well but there are still some large horse apples in there. It consists of bedding, manure and some hay/straw. We check it before adding to make certain it is balanced correctly with the other amendments. The question is this, will a chipper/shredder work to break up the left over apples? Would that be a good way to do a final mix? The tiller does not quite do the trick. We do not have a shredder and are thinking of one if it would help, in fact if it is a good idea I know a couple of neighbors who might like to share one with us.

I have never had a really big garden but seeing the pictures on this forum has gotten me inspired and finally my husband has become more interested since he is retired. I am too excited about doing this but need this advice. After looking around the net I realized that the best gardening info and ideas seem to be right here. :-)

The catalogs are coming! It is better than a birthday! :hi:

[Kolesar]

1. If it's that old, the high-nitrogen urine ought to be well broken down

...so you ought not to have a "burning" problem with the manure. The nitrogen in the form of ammonia actually decomposes and wafts into the atmosphere.

One would hope to process/compost manure long enough that it does not look like "the original material". However, my brother put lumpy horse manure that was one year old onto his produce garden before planting and it worked great. I could still see the form of the old horse manure on top of his potato fields at the end of the season. He grew beets as big as a softball.

I would probably spread it and till it into the garden. I am no expert, though!