[radiohead]

Hi to all,
Myself and my family are relative newcomers to allotments and are now in our second season and have been amazed at the produce we have been able to grow. So much so that we took on a second plot this year,(they are not very big).....this plot has brassicas,squashes and sweetcorn amongst other stuff but I have become aware that the large quantity of manure I dug in in the spring was contaminated with the herbicide that has been a national problem.
My daughters sunflowers dont look right,same with the ridge cucumbers....other plotholders who used the same manure have classic symptoms with their spuds and broad beans.
I'm devastated to think my plot is now contaminated.
My question is what are other people doing about eating unaffected crops off contaminated plots? Are you using the produce or simply writing it off.
I would really value opinions as I'm somewhat disollusioned at the moment.

[Zippy]

Google Vegan Organic Gardening. Unless you can find a totally reliable source of manure from an organic farmer and collect it yourself, i wouldn't bother with manure at all - not as essential as people make out if you can incorporate a few green methods.

[radiohead]

Thanks for that ,
I have found an uncotaminated manure now but that doesnt help one plot which is now contaminated. I took this plot over in the spring and there was already a pile of manure left by the previous tennant which I dug in.....Oh how I wish I hadnt

My main concern is what are peoples views on using the produce off contaminated plots??

[Ivah]

Lots of info here

http://glallotments.co.uk/ACManure.aspx

[mumofstig]

Link here to Dow Agrosciences fact sheet which answers your question.


John's advice for dealing with the contaminated soil:

rotovate again and again and again and again. After six months or so it’s probably OK and worth testing with tomatoes or potatoes grown in the soil. Don’t just test soil from one place. Ideally test five points – imagine a number 5 on a dice.

What we are seeking to do is to ensure no lumps of contaminated manure remain and the microbes have had chance to do their job thoroughly. That’s why multiple rotovations will help. If you don’t have a rotovator and can’t borrow one, then chop up the manure with a spade and fork it into the top six inches. Turn it over with your fork each month, incorporating any weeds so they rot down as well.

I hope this helps

[glallotments]

Lots of info here

http://glallotments.co.uk/ACManure.aspx

I'm the owner of the site above and created the manure pages after our allotment site was contaminated. Just to answer the eat or not eat question.

We didn't eat our potatoes as we had others but some plot neighbours did. We did however eat crops grown in soil where the manure had been applied that didn't show any signs of contamination. It is really a personal decision. We were told by 'experts' that the crops were safe to eat. The theory is that the contamination isn't absorbed by the gut and passes through as it does with the animals who have produced the manure!

Just another point - don't compost any plants grown on the affected soil as the contamination will continue. We had volunteer potato tubers coming up with symptoms the year after so the contamination was absorbed by the tubers also I know of one person who planted seeds collected from affected broad beans - just to see what happened and the plants grown from these seeds showed symptoms too.

Let me know via my website if you want to be added to my list of 2010 victims and to the map.

Don't let this put you off growing your own as your soil will recover hopefully next year if you follow John's advice

[Zippy]

Is this information enough to make us feel that it is no longer viable to take manure from the larger industrial farms and to rely on smaller organic concerns? I am wavering between going completely manure free (veganic) and using only sources where I know the growers are organic.

[mumofstig]

this 'problem' has been ongoing for a few years now, and there are sources of manure that have not been contaminated, not just organic sources.

You just need to ensure that the manure you are getting has not been contaminated, ask at the stables/farm where you are collecting it from....you can always do a trial with broad beans or tomato seeds before you spread it to make sure it is safe 

[radiohead]

Thank you all very much for your help and advice,
I'm still not sure how badly affected our plot is as we are not growing any of the real indicators such as beans and potatoes,but other plotholders are badly hit.
I have bunged in some broad bean 'testers' around the plot to see what happens...and will base my decision on whether to use the other produce on the results....I'll update later in the season.
Thanks again and I must say this looks like a great forum full of great people,hopefully I will be able to contribute

[glallotments]

Is this information enough to make us feel that it is no longer viable to take manure from the larger industrial farms and to rely on smaller organic concerns? I am wavering between going completely manure free (veganic) and using only sources where I know the growers are organic.

Organic sources have been known to be contaminated too

Don't be lulled into a false sense of security with the bean test. The test can't be conclusive unless it gives a positive result i.e. proves the manure IS contaminated.

[mumofstig]

then they weren't really organic were they   

[Cazzy]

I didn't realise this was an ongoing problem, I was under the impression that this was the first time manure had been contaminated.

I bought bags of it this year for the first time and never thought of testing, I was more concerned that it looked more like chipped bark than manure.

[mumofstig]

have alook here for just one of the old threads on the subject
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=18430.0

there are loads more if you use 'aminopyralid' to search.

[Janeymiddlewife]

I bought bags of it this year for the first time and never thought of testing, I was more concerned that it looked more like chipped bark than manure.

I had something very similar, however it has really kept the weeds down and acted like a mulch around my beans & onions - just wish I could remember where I got it from!!

[glallotments]

then they weren't really organic were they    

If you research into what organic really means - I did when this problem first occurred in 2008 -  you may be surprised as to what can claim to be organic.

If you are interested in what I found out  try this link http://glallotments.co.uk/organic.aspx