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Saturday 30 January 2010

Manure!

No that isn't a polite way of saying I've had a sh.. day. We've only just collected some manure from our next door neighbour Pierro as every year. It's a lovely rich mix of donkey, wild boar and chicken poo. This gives me a perfect excuse to show this old photo of Pierro trying to convince one of his donkeys to come to a festa with him (he doesn't have a woman to take, you know). It was taken back in in summer of 2006.

A large part of the manure went to make a base in my newly constructed cold frame, topped up with some all purpose shop bought compost. The manure hasn't completely broken down and the final fermentation should create a bit of heat and turn the cold frame into more of a hot frame (well it's a bit draughty, so maybe a warm frame...).

The rest has been worked into various beds. On Monday we'll be off to get some more, there's only so much I get fit into the back of the car. It's taken on some interesting aromas already (the inside of the car that is).

The weather has remained fine and cool with just some rain last night. So preparation for sowing in a couple of weeks time with the waxing moon phase all in full swing.

9 comments:

River-Rose said...

Just read about this at the library today. Can't wait to see the process! Learning so much...Thanks!

Mr. H. said...

Pig manure is great for gardens, I once planted a garden over an old pig pen and everything grew like crazy, wish I had a supplier for that this year.

Now that is one stubborn donkey.:)

Jan said...

Sounds like a lovely mix of manure, the plants will love it!

Stefaneener said...

It's a lovely photo. Apparently you need to convince the donkey that whatever you want it to do is its idea first, right? How you do that. . . well, I don't know.

What a lovely idea for your mix of manure. Enjoy, enjoy.

GetSoiled said...

Oh...Italian men, I tell ya, they forget they get more with honey! Just look at the way he is pulling that poor date of his! I would not blame it on her if it was not a wonderful evening.

Or perhaps he needed to shower? You know...being around all that manure and all...

Heiko said...

Well, the donkey is a male and he was to show off the way wood was transported before everyone had a tractor or an Ape 3-wheeler van. Piero convinced him eventually by taking along a more pliable female, which he happily followed.

French Fancy... said...

Hello there - I saw you over at Ayak's blog and thought I would come and metaphorically take my hat off to anyone managing to live on €5 a week.

You do live in a beautiful area. One of my best holidays was along the Ligurian coastline, I think it was between Diana Marina and Alassio.

How many languages do you speak?

Heiko said...

Hi and welcome, French Fancy,

We don't always survive on that little, but until the end of the month that's it. Languages? I'm not sure, I loose count. Fluently four I suppose, I get by in another half dozen and have a basic grounding in a few more. Amongst the more bizarre ones are Sanskrit, Tamil and Indonesian. None of them well though.

Ayak said...

Talking about manure reminds me of when we lived in Avanos in Cappadocia. Our attic was full of pigeons..1000s of them..there was a gap in the tiles where they managed to get in. We actually paid a couple of men to come and shoo them out and clear up the pigeon poo..and seal up the gap. They removed 22 sacks of pigeon poo...yes 22! Naively we didn't realise at the time that pigeon poo is the gold dust of manure here and were subsequently informed that the men should have paid us and not the reverse..You live and learn!