First time allotment holder, seeking advice...
The local riding stables have left a whole big load of horse manure outside of our allotment site for folk to use. It is pretty fresh (great strong pong from it) and it contains only a moderate amount of straw.
Notwithstanding the warnings I have seen on this list and elsewhere regarding contamination with weed killers and the like, how can I beneficially use this stuff?
Can I use this manure straight away on the beds in my plot as a top mulch and dig it in next spring? Or should I just add it to my compost bins and let it mature there for, say, a year and then use it?
Also which plants would benefit from an application of manure? I seem to recall that root crops don't like recently manured beds?
Ed