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QWE have been offered a load of horse manure but it contains wood shavings. Will that be a problem? B Marsh, Exeter.

days, most stables use wood shavings as bedding rather than traditional straw. While it is an OK alternative for horses, it is not ideal for the garden. The problem is the wood shavings contain high levels of carbon so it takes an age for it to decompose and in doing so will rob precious nitrogen from the soil.

If you decide to take the load, stack it in a heap and mix it with other organic matter and a sprinkling of nitrogen fertiliser. Cover it to protect it from winter rain then, in spring, use it to mulch your borders.