Horse Manure Age: Older Is Better for Vegetable Plots

When is horse manure best: 6 months (no smell, holds shape) or 3+ years? Older cured manure wins in all situations.

Why Older Wins

• Richer, more stable, fully decomposed.
• 1 ton horse manure ≈ 100 lbs 14-5-11 fertilizer.
• Straw bedding must be untreated (no wax/glaze) to break down.

Cautions

• Can be high in salts.
• Often high in phosphorus — soil test tells if it's wrong for your plot.

Soil test first. Then apply aged manure confidently.