Today I acquired...........

[GaryS65]

Acquired some toe breakers tennis ball for scale. Not sure what I'm gonna do with them would love to make a knife but no forge or attempted before so anyone want some high end FAG 22318 (90x190x64mm)/22320 (100x215x73mm) bearings for stupidly cheap?
View attachment 535309

We use them a lot at work. Serious money.

 

[Dapph2]

The barn I got the manure from is near to collapse with the cows long since moved on. The higher, covered area is quite dry and dark and there's just a mass of it. Very few weeds in it. I'm assuming killed by the heat. Some of it's still a bit "strawy". The low point of the barn is waterlogged and tbh you wouldn't want to tread there.

I've always wondered what's best, cow or horse manure?

Cow muck and associated urine soaked bedding if you can get it left to sweeten up & turn into manure over winter or neat well composted dairy parlour dried slurry .


Cows have one stomach, which is divided into four specialized compartments: rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.
Cows are ruminant animals, meaning they have a digestive system adapted to break down fibrous plant material like grass and hay. While it is commonly believed that cows have four separate stomachs, they actually have a single stomach with four compartments, each performing a unique role in digestion.

AnimalWised+2
Horse digestive system is not a ruminant one , weed & hay seeds often pass right through giving you loads of weed seeds ready to germinate in your garden ..

As you have a chalky soil avoid mushroom compost as it will lead to chlorosis in the plants ( weak yellow leaves from too much alkali ) .

If you can get hold of a simple PH soil test kit or a simple PH meter to check the PH just before sowing and transplanting it needs to be slightly acidic soil ..if nettles grow in you garden it's pretty close to being ideal.

 

[Dapph2]

Horse manure tends to grow weeds that pass through
What about sheep? Imay have a source of that

Yes sheep dung free of hay is good .
Sheep are ruminants.too
They have a four-chambered stomach that allows them to digest food through a process called rumination, which involves regurgitating and re-chewing their food. This unique digestive system is characteristic of ruminant animals, which also include cows, goats, and deer.
Lama beans and pure rabbit muck on hay content are also very good .

 

[Onoff]

if nettles grow in you garden it's pretty close to being ideal.

I'd win prizes for the nettles here!