When Do You Start Planting After Applying Steer Manure?

Definitions

• To understand how to properly handle steer manure, you must understand the product you're working with. Commercial, composted manure, which is available in bags or in bulk at landscaping supply companies, has been processed under strict state guidelines and is usually a safe product. Raw manure is fresh. It still smells and may contain liquid. Raw manure not only contains pathogens but also has a strong odor and is unpleasant to handle. Rotted, or aged, manure has sat in a feedlot for some time but hasn't been actively composted. It has less odor and is breaking down. Home-composted manure has been actively heated but may still contain pathogens.

Food Safety

• The main concern with using steer manure as a soil amendment is the potential for food crops to become contaminated with pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, or parasites, such as tapeworms. Bagged compost is safe to add to a vegetable garden immediately, but if you're using raw or aged manure, apply it at least 120 days before planting vegetable seeds, especially if you're planting crops, such as root vegetables, that make contact with the soil. If you're using steer manure that has been thoroughly composted at a temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 days, you can safely add it to the soil 60 days before planting, according to the Colorado State University Extension. If your household includes a child, pregnant woman, elderly person or individual with a compromised immune system, you might want to forgo steer manure altogether in the vegetable garden, because these people are at the most risk for becoming ill from foodborne pathogens.

Plant Safety

• Raw manure is high in ammonia. If you plant seeds and plants immediately after tilling in fresh steer manure, you're likely to burn the plants. As the manure ages and composts, it releases the ammonia, making it safer to use around plants. Allow raw, rotted or home-composted steer manure to age for at least 60 days before planting, and don't sidedress plants with raw manure.

Recommendations

• If you live near a feedlot, you may have ready access to all the free steer manure you can haul. If you decide to use raw, rotted or home-composted manure, take extra care around food crops. One of the best times to apply manure is in the fall after you've harvested the current crop. Till the manure into the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, and allow it to lay fallow over the winter. Come spring, your beds will be ready for planting.