We have been working on our expanded vegetable garden.  One of the exciting things about it is that we get to use our very own BLACK GOLD from the alpacas. 

Chuck working hard spreading the composted alpaca poo for our new vegetable garden.

Alpaca manure is lower in organic matter content than manures of most other barnyard livestock, but it still has plenty to improve soil texture and water holding capacity.  Because an alpaca’s digestive system breaks down the food so efficiently, their ‘beans’ can be directly put on or in any garden area without the concern for plant burn.

We have composted our alpaca dung for the past three years.  I have talked before about watching the compost pile steam – very cool.  Anyway, the very first pile we started is now gone – we used it all over the last year and have sold some, too.  It is wonderful for vegetable gardens.

This is the ‘alien’ that we found in the compost pile. 

 

Same quarter – different grub.  The guy in the top picture is huge!