If you want your land to grow good plants year after year you have to be prepared to put something back into it year after year. That something is called organic matter, and most of the good stuff is the end product of the digestive systems of the horse or cow, and sometimes of the pig or chicken. A good deal of it, however, can be the result of other gardening work such as grass cuttings. The importance of making a good soil structure cannot be over emphasized. The structure of the soil can so easily deteriorate if plants are grown year after year and organic matter is not added. Remember if you want something out you have to put something in. Before the motor car came onto the scene, the old time gardener was able to get the best organic matter in the world, but now straw stable manure (horse manure) is virtually impossible to get and a gardener who lives near a stable is very lucky indeed. Because of the way horses are cared for (bedded down on straw) stable manure was the preferred organic matter for heavier soil, because it has less moisture as the straw helps to drain off excess water.
In Guyana cow dung is the most widely used organic matter. It is sometimes delivered when it is fairly old and ready to use, but more often than not when it is wet and fresh, when of course it has to be weathered and dried out in the sun. Because it naturally holds more moisture than other manures, cow dung is especially useful on light sandy soils which dry out rapidly and use up large quantities of organic matter. Thus in a nutshell stable manure helps heavy soil (clays) get rid of water. Cow dung helps sandy soil keep it.
However, the fact remains that gardeners nowadays have to improvise a great deal in their search for organic matter in order to save money. They need look no further than their own garden. Those people with lawns should save all the cuttings and use them as compost later on when they are nicely rotted down. There are quite expensive plastic drums on sale in Europe and USA which you can fill with compost and turn every few months until the contents are ready.
A cheaper way and just as good is to use a few 45 gallon drums with the base and top removed so you have an empty cylinder. Stand the cylinder on the flat ground (or on concrete) in some secluded part of the garden (45 gallon drums are not pretty) and just start filling it with soft vegetable matter including small quantities of cow dung. It is not necessary to cover it at any time. Once you have filled the first couple of feet of the compost cylinder with garden rubbish, sprinkle a generous helping of sulphate of ammonia, urea or a general high-nitrogen fertilizer over the surface to quicken the rotting down process. Repeat this for every couple of feet of compost you put into it. When it is full then simply start on the next empty drum.
After several months you will be able to examine the contents of the first drum to see whether it is completely converted to compost by just leaning it over to look at the first material you put in. It should look like even blackish soil and it shouldn’t be possible to identify its origins. This compost can be quickly spread thickly and without danger around your trees and shrubs, over your flower beds and used in your potting compost. Remember to use only material which will rot down reasonably quickly. Don’t use hard wood cuttings like rose pruning, or plastic bags. Small quantities of paper can be used, but not cardboard.
All for now, dear reader. May your God go with you.
