1" if added just before planting. 2-3" if done in the fall. Tilled in well in both cases.

In raised beds you can also trench a couple of inches in down the center and let it act like a fertilizer channel but you don't get the soil improvement from it that way. I have the best results side dressing plants with it once established.

JMO

Dave

I completely agree with Dave. I prefer to do sequential light additions as crops warrant it, rather than a heavy application, but in the fall, if you aren't doing season extension, you will get a lot of benefit from a heavier addition that will be well-incorporated into the soil by natural processes by spring. Trenching is particularly good with tomatoes, squash, and melons, whose roots should reach the manure just when they need the boost.