How to Use Manure in the Greenhouse
- 1). Find a good manure source. Some farmers might allow you to take manure for a nominal fee or even for free. Cows, horses, rabbits, bats, chicken and turkey manure are all good for using in a greenhouse.
- 2). Mix manure with leaves, grass clippings, food scraps and other organic materials and allow it to decompose into compost for four to six weeks. Combine it with three parts loam (a kind of soil) to one part manure compost and use it as potting soil for your greenhouse plants. For composting, check the carbon to nitrogen ratios (see the Resources section).
- 3). Build wooden boxes under the shelves or benches in your greenhouse and move your compost pile along with the manure into these boxes. Top the compost piles with your organic waste and mix them at least once a week so they continue producing heat.
- 4). Pack the greenhouse with plants. The more plants in the greenhouse, the easier it is to maintain the heat during the night.
