Will it be safe to eat the stuff we are going to grow? It seems weird to me. We are doing a veggie/fruit garden over my mom's house and she wants to put quot;organic fertilizerquot; (POOP!) in the dirt. What is the proper way to do this? This is the first time I've grown anything so any tips would be helpful! Thanks!
Composted manure is best as it will not burn your plants. But you can use raw manure as long as you put it on the garden several months before you plant-late fall is best for this. Over winter it will break down and feed the soil. You should start a compost pile ASAP using raw manure, kitchen scraps (no meat!), garden waste, leaves, straw, etc.. It takes about 6 to 12 months for compost to mature. Google compost and you can find all kinds of information on how to make a proper pile.
Amazing how many different answers you can get, and from one that knows absolutely nothing about manure fertilizer if they say it has no value. Green or aged works well, but if using green use sparingly because as stated above it can burn (too rich your plants). I have never used but have heard that the Black Kow is good. But be careful about buying bagged manure because to be classified as manure it has only to be 10% manure to be classified as that. If you have pens where livestock have been and it looks like dirt, use that it works great, sure beats Chemical Fertilizer. If you are worried about eating from plants that used manure, forget it, the plants breaks it down well before you get it in your mouth.
Manure needs to be well composted, then tilled or spaded into the soil before planting either sets or seeds. It is a least as sterile as the soil you are mixing it with! It is one of the best fertilizers out there for a small garden. Composted manure smell like good rich soil, not like poop by the way. Composting also kills the weed seeds that may be in it too. If you can't find composted manure yourself you can buy it most places that sell vegetable plants and seeds. Bert
Animal fertilizer is wonderful and farmers have been using it for years. We always put the manure from the horse and cow barns where it would do the most good. It is very mild compared to chemical fertilizer and rarely burns the crops. My mother's fig bushes always produce the most abundant crops and the flowers around the house love it. In some countries they use human fertilizer, but I think I would draw the line at this. We never had a commercial chicken house but that fertilizer works well, but is stronger than cow or horse. When I buy fertilizer I get the chemical because I get more for the money and I don't over fertilize. Use the manure if you like, it won't hurt anything. Good luck.
You can however...with what cows and horses are fed these days..the manure isn't that rich in anything that benefits the plants. Your best bet is to go to a nursery and buy some bagged fertilizer. Fertilizing also in the heat will burn your plants.. so do so wisely.
