Today, I'm Mixing sand in my composted Manure Pile and Planting Lettuce!
 

OK,

I've got a 2 year old manure pile (Horse,rabbit, chicken) that I've been adding shredded newspaper to and stirring up with my little mantis-like stihl mm-55 tiller.

Today, I'm going to add some masonry sand that the cats have been using all winter (probably 2-3 wheelbarrow loads).

I'm going to stir it all together with my little tiller and plant some bib lettuce and onions...and see what happens.

I'm not going to till deep enough to break the ground, since my ground is only clay and rocks...

Think anything will grow in it?

You were sounding good until you decided to mix cat poo in there. I wouldn't add a carnivore's poo into my compost, and I certainly wouldn't add it, uncomposted, into my garden.

I cant' remember why, though, so maybe I'm making this all up.

You do not want cat poop in there! If it is too late I would wait at least another year.

Here ya go:
http://gardening.wsu.edu/stewardship...st/petpoop.htm
http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardand...e-dog-cat.html

If you google for "compost cat dog" you'll see lots of info.
Basically cats' and dogs' poo has organisms (parasites) in it that can harm humans.

I envy your lettuce planting! Too cold here still.
But soon.
Soon.

never, never, never mix cat or dog poo with anything that yu want to eat. Very, very bad.

Well...
 

I ain't gonna eat the cat poo....I may eat some plants that eat the cat poo...

Besides, the amount of cat poo is minimal, and I'll bet there are a lot of folks who have dogs and cats that poo in their gardens...how can you prevent it?

Very Nice!
 

A True Masterpiece!

Rarely have I seen better!

Thanks!

OMG-Holleegee-have you taken over Boleyz's body!!?!?!?

Patty

No, I was on the phone (on hold for about 30 minutes) and I was inspired to "draw" a picture.

If you want to use pet manure, make sure it is fully composted. The high heat created in a properly managed compost pile will kill the bacteria parasites that are in the manure, regardless of what animal it came from. If you don't want to compost it, you can bury it in your garden, plenty deep enough so that you won't dig into it during normal gardening chores.

Bwahahahaha
 

Didn't you know? Boleyz is the Romulen word for Borg....

Holleegee has been assimilated...you will be as well.

Resistance is futile...

Isn't it an actual fotograf?? What if I'm already ass...ass..imilated?

Patty

No fear from pet parasites in their excrement. If your dogs have them, your lawn and garden soils are already infected with their eggs. If your cats have them, your carpets most likely have them!

Martin

Well...
 

Yesterday was too wet, so I'm stirring it all up and planting it today...I don't care about the cat poo...I always wash my hands and my vegetables after I've been in the garden.

In regards to your lettuce, hope you like E. coli with that.

:)

Hmmmm...
 

What's the RDA on Vitamin E coli?

http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/2473/62

Martin

Hopefully, I'll never get a dinner invitation over to your place :-) Yuck.

Come on over!!
 

40 days from now I'll be eating bib lettuce and onions chopped up in a nice ceasar salad....

42 days from now, I may be pooping blood...we'll see... :p

(I don't think I'll draw a picture of that :) )

I have outdoor cats and they poo in the gardens. Their job is to keep the rabbits and other critters out of the garden,so I can't exactly keep them from doing their business in there as well. I never worried about it.

Anyways,Boleyz,just pour hot bacon grease over that lettuce before you eat it,that'll kill off any nasties :p

Interesting thread.

I seriously question whether cat poo is beneficial toward growing healthier and more bountiful crops. One question that comes to mind is; How many people actually save a winter's worth of their accumulated cat litter box contents for use in their spring gardens?

if it was a veggie i was cooking, i wouldn't think much of it. lettuce would be my last choice to plant in questionable soil...but whatever floats your boat.

Hardcore composters grow vegetables in human manure properly composted over two years. It produces a perfectly balanced top dressing for your planting beds according to the Humanure Handbook which happens to be a quite wonderful book that's well worth a look at.

I have a sawdust (pine straw) toilet compost heap in its second year at the moment - I'm not sure if I'll have the nerve to turn it over when it reaches maturity but it's looking good - no odors or flies.

It should be ready in about six months. If anyone would like to buy my ...er, compost just let me know.

Remember that the Earth has been recycling everything organic from day one. By now, I think that it's pretty well got the system under control! Civilization as we know it prospered on that system and is where we are today because of it. Boleyz does stand a chance of getting some sort of digestive problem from eating lettuce grown in that garden. However, the best chance comes from those ambitious wrens looking for cabbage worms. Bird droppings can carry 50-60 different diseases. I eat fresh lettuce right in the garden and don't give it a second thought about what's in the ground. Loads of nightcrawlers down there converting anything organic into manure. I let the plant eats the manure, I eat the lettuce. The natural cycle is broken when I flush my waste down a toilet bowl. That's progress?

Martin

Well....
 

Natural cycle or not, I ain't gonna join the cats and poop in the garden.... :p :)

If you walked into any dairy barn around here 40-50 years ago and looked around real good, you'd find a roll of toilet paper! That wasn't for blowing one's nose! On our original farm, the outhouse was permanent. It didn't get moved around as the pit filled. Pit was only a few feet deep and it was closed off by a lattice door. When I was there, it was cleaned out twice a year, spring and fall. Included it with a partial load from calf pens or whatever. However, it wasn't spread on the garden but out on the fields. But like you, I too would draw the line on using it on the gardens. Not because it is bad but rather what the supposed civilized population would think!

Martin

Oh I've done that...
 

I've pooped in the hog barn on a 5 gallon bucket plenty of times...too far to walk to the house...

I ain't opposed to outdoor pooping...I keep some "Striking Paper" in my truck at all times...I hunt and fish a lot...

I just can't see myself pooping in the garden, that's all... :baby04:

WE don't want to see you pooping there either...Not gonna yell PICTURE this time...

Patty :)