Feces From Our Species
When life gives you crap, use it as fertilizer.
As you can see, we have several animals here at Summer Hill Farm. Naturally, what comes next is several species of poop. We realized that the smart thing to do would be to utilize every aspect of our animals that we can (aside from meat, because we're all softies) and make lemons into lemonade.
The result is piles of awesome fertilizer for your gardens! So what do we have to offer you besides gratuitous poop jokes (we are human, after all)? Well --
Camelid poop can be put directly on plants without doing any damage. It is odor-free and rich in potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Do be careful with direct-root contact on salt-sensitive plants, however. It's a great soil conditioner!
Rabbit poop, or "bunny gold," has the highest concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus of any mammal manure. Heath is happy to oblige with bunny gold requests!
Horse manure is another popular option. It should not be put directly on plants as fresh manure, but can be made into a nutritional compost for your plants. It is also readily available and inexpensive! Our girl Misty is on the job!
Sheep poop is much harder to gather, but hey, we have that as well! It's also high in potassium and phosphorus and is a slow-release fertilizer. It also has minimal odor. It can make great mulch, but should not be applied directly to plants without being aged. Although it's harder to gather because sheep poop wherever they are, we have twenty of them on the job, so we're sure to find a decent amount for you!
Even chicken manure is highly desirable for vegetable gardens! The potassium and phosphorus are great for your plants. It's very high in nitrogen, however, and as a result, it can damage or kill plants if applied directly. After being composted for six to nine months, it will be extremely beneficial to your garden. Luckly, we have six... nine... ish (I ought to count them again) chickens and a set of peafowl on the job!
Monday, May 3, 2021