I've always liked raising pumpkins and watermelons and this year thought I'd spice up the in-town garden a bit. The yard soil is pretty tight and is a clay loam.
I dug down a foot or more to layer in some sand and rotted straw. I got a several 5 gallon buckets of manure the neighbor is spreading on his corn circles. Its commercial grade and smells strong, but I don't really know how old it is, if that matters.
I put tons of manure down back when I was farming, but haven't used it in a garden before.
My question is how much manure should I put in each of my 3 ft diameter hills? I don't want to burn the plants. Or would it be better to bury it off to the side of the hills? Would the root system just get what it needs without burning and the fertilizer just be there if needed??
Thanks for any advice,
Howard
