Manures and composts widely used by gardeners include:

• Animal manures: faeces, urine and bedding from farms and stables, that may be rotted or unrotted
• Bark chips: chipped bark and other uncomposted woody waste can deplete soil nitrogen so are best used as a muich on the soil surface
• Cardboard: best composted before adding to the garden
• Fallen leaves: can deplete soil nitrogen if used without composting, either on their owns as leafmould or in with garden compost 
• Garden compost: composted garden and household (kitchen) waste
• GREEN MANURE : not a good source of organic matter being largely water
• Kitchen waste: widely available but best composted before use
• Lawn mowings: widely available but best composted with a carbon rich material such as straw before use
• LEAF MOULD :fallen leaves rotted on their own with no other additions
• POULTRY OR CHICKEN MANURE : only limited quantities can be applied due its richness in nutrients. Most valuable as a compost activator or replacement for fertilisers
• Municipal compost: composted garden, household and trade wastes, usually at higher temperatures than home composting so less troubled by weeds, weed seeds and disease 
• MUSHROOM COMPOST: locally abundant and inexpensive, can be alkaline so best suited for use on acid soils and for vegetable crops
• Peat: gardeners are urged not to use peat to improve soils as better, less environmentally damaging alternatives available
• Soil improver/soil conditioner: alternative names for well rotted organic matter
• Straw: cereal straw depletes soil nitrogen as it rots and is best composted with nitrogen rich materials such as grass clippings before use
• Woodchips: chipped timber and woody garden waste (e.g. prunings and hedge trimmings) deplete soil nitrogen as it rots so best to compost first or use as a muich on the surface

Examples of less common bulky organic matter include:

• Animal slurries: liquid farm manures usually too objectionable to be used in gardens but widely used by farmers
• Biodigester wastes: liquid wastes from recyclable power schemes, too objectionable to be used in gardens but increasingly used by farmers
• Bracken : locally available
• Guano: bird or bat droppings accumulated over long periods on dry islands or in caves, occasionally available
• Paper wastes: waste product of paper industry usually only available to farmers
• Sawdust: waste material that depletes soil nitrogen as it rots
• Sewage solids: solid materials form sewage treatment works. Usually only available to farmers as potentially hazardous in garden situations
• Spent hops: waste product of brewing industry sometimes offered to urban gardeners
• Wool waste: traditional waste product from woollen industry, occasionally available