Preparing a garden for next year!

[ssray]

The house we are(when finished)moving into has a larger garden than we are used to,at the mo there is grass down the bottom and i would like a veg patch.
To prepare the ground should i get some horse poo spread it out and cover with black plastic till spring or am i trying to be lazy(moi)?
Cheers ray

 

[Thermo]

best to rotovate it or turn it over with a fork. mix in the horse manure at the same time and leave it to the frost.

 

[JohnD]

I use a lot of horse muck.

Probably the better stuff to dig in is well-rotted staw bedding, but it is very smelly.

Having dug over the garden thoroughly (and being injured) I now like to spread a good thick mulch of woodchip/shavings bedding (which is not smelly) each year. It suppresses weed growth. The following year it will have rotted away and been taken down by the worms so improving the soil, and you apply another layer. It also looks quite neat (dark brown, dryish flakey) and is not out of place in an ornamental border. You have to water well before applying. If you need to water during the summer, pull it back a little so the water goes into the soil and not the mulch. It will absorb a light shower.

I don't think there's any need for black plastic as a thick layer will suppress most weeds, especially if you hoe or strim first.

p.s. you can also expect to be self-sufficient in baler twine if you use much horse bedding.