Meandmyroses said: Why would I even want to experiment with horse manure on this garden.
Might as wellsave my breath for cooling my porridge….
I can't figure out where you are gardening.
When we have existing top soil and decent rain in due season, we can get away with a lot of practices that don't help the soil.
When we come in on a site that has had all the top soil and nutrients played out through centuries of poor farming practices... Tobacco and cotton here in the deep south...
We have to build soil if we expect anything to grow.
An easy way to build soil... adding barn scrapings where available...
Other people plant cover crops which get tilled under in their efforts to rebuild the top soil that has all been used up, or eroded away.
If you are able to garden without doing anything to rebuild the soil... well, that's your experience.
If you read the book "Dirt" by David R. Montgomery, you'll discover that a lot of people have gardened without replacing the organic material in their soil... and future generations paid a pretty steep price.