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Can I use horse manure and straw bedding to make compost?

— Linda Kimminau
Sudbury Suffolk, United Kingdom

Yes! In fact, it makes great compost, according to the Maryland Cooperative Extension Office.

Horses produce copious amounts of manure, which, when combined with straw or sawdust bedding, will make mountainous piles of waste each month, and if left alone, it will eventually break down and become compost. But with a few simple steps you can have usable, rich compost in just a few weeks. To learn how to do this on your farm, read Composting Horse Manure, produced by the Maryland Horse Outreach Workgroup.

— Heidi Hunt, assistant editor

Comments

  • 3 oinks 6/11/2008 9:48:34 AM

    Can composted horse manure be used on certified organic gardens?
    I've been told that the medications given to horses compromises the
    compost.

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