[sion01]

A man who I help to garden has a plot of grass in the garden which is about a quarter of an acre.He cuts it with his ride on mower which is good as his three dogs use the 'meadow' as a toilet.I sujested building him two compost heaps side by side wide enough so he could reverse the mower in and dump the grass and compost it properly.He opted for putting it in a one of those big bags that sand and gravel come in I did explain that it would more then likely result in a wet,smelly mess as grass should mixed with something corser but he knew better

When I went round the other day he had emtied the slimmy mess on to the bare soil in the so called veg plot.He asked me if I would dig it in as the smell was so horendous.I will do it when it dries out a bit.

To get to the point.Is it safe to grow veg with this grass/dog poo smelly soup.I wouldn't eat anything that was down wind of it let alone in/on it.Atleast if it was composted properly the heat might have killed off some of the bacteria off.I don't want to be responssible for helping him poison himself

[JayG]

The main risk (i.e. other than bacteria or viruses which tend not to live very long in soil) is Toxocariasis, and the risk of that partly depends on whether your friend has his dogs wormed regularly (and also whether other dogs use the area as a toilet.)

It's certainly not something I'd want to add to my veg patch, but at the end of the day if all fresh produce is really thoroughly washed, and cooked produce thoroughly cooked the risk should be minimal.

(If that doesn't sound particularly reassuring to you I'm sure you're not alone - but then again few veg growers will have avoided having cats, dogs, or foxes poo on their gardens, and most have probably never had problems, but.....................)  

[sion01]

I can dig it in in the knowledge that in theory I won't be contributing to his downfall but after smelling the stuff id rather eat cardboard then anything that came into contact with it

[joyfull]

it sounds just like silage so should be ok.

[solway cropper]

it sounds just like silage so should be ok.

Silage is preserved grass not rotted grass. In making silage the grass is fermented under anaerobic conditions and retains a high food value. Because of its moisture content it is more palatable to cattle than dry hay.

I can't see anyone wanting to feed their livestock on rotted grass mixed with dog poo!!

[Yorkie]

I would not wish to use compost which I knew was contaminated with dog poo.  I don't know anything about how the toxins can be killed off, but I doubt that domestic heaps get hot enough to do so.

[Axe]

Silage smells lovely...really poignant smell...rotten grass in sludge mixed with doggydoo...does not smell the same!

i avoid using any manures where meat has been eaten e.g cats and dogs...but my grandparent used to bury ANYTHING in the veggie patches from rabbit skins and guts to ash from fires...and they never had problems with crops...so it might just be us being overcautious..who knows! lol

[allotment south wales]

It is probelly to wet and sludge like to be any good to digg in sucesssfully at the moment..

At the compost stage mix in plenty of cardboard, paper,  paper egg cartons, egg shells etc.

if it smells add more cardboard..

dogs mess dont put it in compost on veg patch

but grass rotted down is good for the soil..either as a mulch on the veg plot..or composted..

you can buy a mulch attachment for the mower that cuts the grass up fine and respreads it back into the ground just cut... solving the dog poo grass issue...

[sion01]

it sounds just like silage so should be ok.

I hope you don't have livestock joyfull.They'll soon be deadstock

[ilan]

I would have thought its more how you dig it in it should be put into a trench with a good 30 cms of soil onto so there can be no danger of rain splash contaminating plants which may be eaten raw. Then I would have no problem with it but if you just rotavate it in then I would not use it for vegetables just in case

[tadpole]

Does anyone use rotted leaf mould? well the council collect lots of that from parks, they rot it down, leave it for a couple of years, then "give" it to local allotments. Guess they check the parks for dog mess before hooving up all them leaves? Or maybe not.
 Add the sludge to your compost, and the heat will destroy the nasties.
Try not to use it anywhere until all the smell has gone.
As for the risk... 1.3,000,000 tonnes of 'primary biosolids' are spead on farmers fields every year. (biosolid is short hand for human waste)

[JayG]

In this country sewage sludge is extensively treated to destroy almost 100% of pathogens, parasites and their eggs before it is used as a soil improver.

The risk of adding live parasites or their eggs in leaf litter would be considerably reduced after a couple of years of composting, and probably eliminated by hot composting, but sion01's friend will not achieve that in his particular situation.

Yes, there are risks involved in just getting out of bed in the morning, but it cannot be a wise choice to knowingly add more to the list when you can't possibly quantify how great those risks actually are.

Because of that, as I said earlier, sion's friend would be well advised to wash all his veg and cook properly as appropriate.

[ilan]

Whilst biosolids are used on fields .this is treated and tested before aplication For normal untreated waste from cesspits etc this is normaly done only under licence The rules are strict there is a three week period before you can graze animals on any treated land and a 10 Month ban on harvesting crops . I would have thought this "compost " can only be used if it does not come into contact with any edible part of a plant Ie 30-50 cms underground.

[mumofstig]

I would let it rot in the compost bin till next winter and then dig it in, not let it sit on the surface

[Ice]

I wouldn't let dog sh1t anywhere near my veg.  Even if were safe from pathogens I just wouldn't be able to stomach it.