Using compost instead of topsoil - does that mean I can take the horse manure I've been spreading in the fields and use it instead of buying topsoil?? I know very little about composting; what I think I know is that you try to keep certain items out and you have to turn it over a few times, and it's ready in a few months..

Is that true? We are excavating about 1280 square feet of ground.. we've got little to no topsoil elsewhere on the property to cover the exposed ground (which is a very hard clay). So up to now we were thinking of putting in crush run gravel to stabilize the ground and keep it from getting muddy; gravel only because topsoil was more expensive and there is extra work involved in getting topsoil in and preparing it for grass to grow.

But we've got plenty of manure.. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]