Q: With all of the rain, then the hot dry spell — I’ve realized I need to amend the soil in my vegetable garden. How should I do this? When should I do this? • Pat from Youngstown A: Yes, this season ...

The turbulent regulatory aftermath of the recent outbreaks of E. coli in spinach and lettuce risks making manure a dirty word and use of manure suspect. In September, E. coli in spinach caused the ...

For folks who don’t farm or garden, a malodorous pile of manure is usually a fly-attracting eyesore to be avoided. But most farmers and gardeners won’t turn up their noses at such a deposit; where ...

There’s a huge problem destroying gardens in the US. For those that aren’t familiar with the very high risk associated with putting manure or purchased compost in your gardens, you NEED to read this ...

While at a meeting at the Ashland Public Library a few years ago I had a question from one of my readers and they asked me if they should use old farm yard soil in their vegetable garden. A few years ...

A rake scooping horse manure into a wheelbarrow - Maho/Getty Images Animal manure remains one of the best amendments you can make to your soil, but there are important mistakes to avoid when using ...

For many years I have mulched my vegetable beds and garden borders with alternating layers of mature compost and washed dairy manure. Light, fluffy and innocent of weed seeds, both compost and cow ...

Composting is one of the most effective ways to manage livestock manure and convert the waste into a valuable soil amendment. With fertiliser prices soaring almost every month, making own compost ...

Patrice Hanlon answers your gardening questions every other week. Last summer I answered a question about problems with vegetables that weren’t growing or became deformed. This past month, the Contra ...

Tomatoes and other vegetables are highly sensitive to herbicide contamination, and the symptoms can fool you. They can include curled or cupped leaves, wilting or distorted new growth, all of which ...

Horse manure needs to be 'cooked' for a specific length of time and at high enough temperatures to result in sufficient reductions in viability of roundworm (Parascaris equorum) eggs and Rhodococcus ...