top soil or manure?

@saegespaene Said
If you spread (real) manure on your soil, you should turn it afterwards... It has to be 'in' the soil for it to have any effect on the root-systems of what you might be planting... and Yes, I'd say it would be better than just dumping top-soil on turned dirt. How do you know where the 'top-soil' came from, or whether it has any nutrients left in it? At least, by adding the nutrients (natural manure, or the bagged material from where-ever) to your soil, you know you are making a positive difference! I like to add peat-moss to the mix too, so that the moisture stays in the top soil longer...

@odie Said
its just the bagged manure, so I will put it on the soil, then turn everything then.

@saegespaene Said
If you spread (real) manure on your soil, you should turn it afterwards... It has to be 'in' the soil for it to have any effect on the root-systems of what you might be planting... and Yes, I'd say it would be better than just dumping top-soil on turned dirt. How do you know where the 'top-soil' came from, or whether it has any nutrients left in it? At least, by adding the nutrients (natural manure, or the bagged material from where-ever) to your soil, you know you are making a positive difference! I like to add peat-moss to the mix too, so that the moisture stays in the top soil longer...

@odie Said
I did find out that soil should never be turned over.........to many perennials are there, apparently just put 1-2 inches of manure on top and the worms and critters will get it down there.

@yomomma Said
Does s***ting in your yard count as manure? Cause it's doing wonders for me.

@saegespaene Said
Well, Odie, I would agree...to disagree. It really would depend on what it is you're trying to cultivate!
I used to have an Irish neighbor, and every fall he would take a pitchfork and a spade, and work over his entire front lawn. (Yes, he was a wirey, grouchy ol' Irishman.) Every spring, his lawn would burst right out of the ground. He wasn't even adding any manure. It was just the natural decomposition of the old grass that would feed the new.... There is a rhythm to nature, and he found it. If you don't wish to disturb your plantings, you can scatter your manure as you wish... With the rains and good luck, enough of it will still get into the soil, but a good portion of the nutrient gases will become airborne, and your neighbors will be all the wiser!