Meet my gardening partners

Meet Magic and Cheyenne, pictured here with their "mama," Emily (my daughter).  Magic, Cheyenne, and their barn buddies keep my gardens enriched with an endless supply of compost.   In my backyard, the soil contains a great deal of limestone and clay (read:  concrete) so amending the soil is critical to my gardening efforts.

Yes, I get a few weed seeds but no more than are naturally in the soil.  I also use plenty of organic mulch to suppress the weeds.

If you are not blessed to board some horses, you can still find free compost.  Contact a horse boarding facility near your home.  They will gladly allow you to haul away some of their never-ending compost pile.

What you need to know about horse manure compost:  it is composed almost entirely of grass/grain so it breaks down into compost very quickly, usually within 2-3
months.  You will know it is ready for use in your garden when it looks/smells like soil.  When collecting compost, always dig from the lower levels of a "manure" pile to make sure you are getting the the most mature product.