Compost-cow manure with sawdust or mulch? - Ask Extension
A community garden with raised beds is considering getting compost from a local dairy farmer. Compost organic and aged. Please help me to understand i...
Knowledgebase
Compost-cow manure with sawdust or mulch? #872004
Asked June 07, 2024, 8:57 AM EDT
A community garden with raised beds is considering getting compost from a local dairy farmer. Compost organic and aged. Please help me to understand if sawdust or mulch is a better option mixed with aged manure. These are the two options.
Coos County Oregon
Expert Response
As long as the dairy farm compost has been hot composted, it should be fine to add it to your community garden beds. Hot composting kills parasites and reduces seeds from weeds. Here is some information from Oregon State Extension about using animal manures in compost in gardens - https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/turn-manure-compost-your-garden
You would not normally want to add sawdust in your garden bed soil as it would compete with the plants for available nitrogen as it breaks down. If you still wanted to use it as a mulch, you would need to add additional nitrogen. Here is an article from Lincoln County Master Gardeners on this subject - https://www.orcoastmga.org/single-post/using-sawdust-as-mulch#:~:text=Sawdust%20or%20shavings%20can%20be,that%20needs%20nitrogen%20to%20decompose.
Sawdust can be added as a carbon source to cow manure in the compost pile as part of the hot composting process.
You would not normally want to add sawdust in your garden bed soil as it would compete with the plants for available nitrogen as it breaks down. If you still wanted to use it as a mulch, you would need to add additional nitrogen. Here is an article from Lincoln County Master Gardeners on this subject - https://www.orcoastmga.org/single-post/using-sawdust-as-mulch#:~:text=Sawdust%20or%20shavings%20can%20be,that%20needs%20nitrogen%20to%20decompose.
Sawdust can be added as a carbon source to cow manure in the compost pile as part of the hot composting process.
