6. Manures

Animal manures can be extremely high in nitrogen and also in essential nutrients if the animals are fed a balanced diet.

Most manures are too rich to be placed directly on plants, they either have to be mixed into the soil in small amounts or diluted before application.

Composting the manure with lower-nitrogen, high-carbon materials before applying often makes for a better soil supplement and avoids nutrient leeching.

Other options are to mix the manure into the soil a month before planting or to compost the manure with high-carbon materials to stabilize the high nitrogen input before adding to the soil.

Minerals, in the form of rock dust or dried kelp weed, are a great way of increasing fertility and can be added more efficiently to the soil by feeding the minerals to the animals on the pasture in their rations or supplements than by spreading it manually.