Small Manure Spreaders Useful for Home Vegetable Gardens

Animal manure is one of the oldest fertilizers known to gardeners. When used properly, it can improve your vegetable garden by adding helpful organic matter to the soil. If you plan to regularly use manure in your garden, try out manure spreaders that can be pulled behind a small lawn tractor or ATV.

Garden supply stores can help your find both manure and the spreaders to apply it with. You may be able to find inexpensive or even free manure from farmers who raise chickens, cows or horses. Once you get the manure, you will need to compost it for 2 to 12 months before you use it on your vegetable garden.

Is Manure Alone Enough?

Manure by itself will not provide enough nutrients for vegetable gardening. You will need to add other types of fertilizer to your garden. The main benefit of spreading manure in your garden is the improvement the organic matter will make in your soil.

Manure can be spread on the garden by the shovel full. If you use this method, make sure you spread the manure compost evenly. Lawn and garden tractors and ATVs can pull spreaders that will distribute manure evenly over a large garden area. The best times to add manure are in the fall and early spring. Spread two inches of manure on your garden plot and work it into the topsoil.

For food safety, follow these guidelines when adding manure to the soil in vegetable gardens:

• Do not use raw animal manure on a vegetable garden. Use composted manure or manure that has been commercially treated to eliminate pathogens.
• Do not use dog, cat or pig manure when cultivating fruits or vegetables. These types of animal wastes contain parasites that can make people sick.
• Apply manure as long before harvest as possible. Use a rototiller to work it into the soil.

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