Bob

Welcome to the org. It sounds like your new plants may have been set back a bit when you transplanted ad I would guess that they will soon start growing faster. Hopefully some of the growers in the southwest will be of more help with growing techniques in your region. I would definitely compost the chicken manure so as not to burn your plants. Just mix the fresh manure with dried leaves , hay or any "brown" dried plant material and keep the pile moist, not soaking and turn once in a while for aeration. In warm weather you'll have finished compost in no time. A great and inexpensive composting book is "Let it Rot" by Stewart Duncan Campbell.

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