# Is this true about pig poo?



## Rockin'B (Jan 20, 2006)

I was talking with the neighbor yesterday and he mentioned that he will not use pig manure in the garden in any form. He claims that it makes root crops grow funny. Carrots turn all knobby, potatoes turn out knobby and bumpy.

This made no sense to me and I've never heard it before. Is there any truth to this story?

He feeds his pigs home ground grain and supplement mix.


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## DoubleD (Jan 28, 2007)

Not sure about his claims... but pigs are omnivores (like humans) and I would not use pig poo in my vegetable gardens or composts. Dog poop, cat poop, pig poop, and human wastes do not belong in a vegatable garden soil (imo).


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## mistletoad (Apr 17, 2003)

Any fresh manure can give you mis-shapen carrots. If I knew the pigs I would compost their manure along with the other manures and not give it a second thought.


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## luvrulz (Feb 3, 2005)

Tell him to check with his extension office and ask them. I am sure it will turn out to be a virus or some such other thing. We use pig poo every year and have not had any mishapen veggies like he mentions....however, in my master gardener class, they did discuss the various viruses and things that can cause such things to happen. just my thoughts..........


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## mommagoose_99 (Jan 25, 2005)

I have dug holes filled them with pig poop then piled soil on top and planted cucumbers. Had a wonderful crop. Works good with pumpkins too. Root crops like carrots and potatoes need composted manure though . Fresh manure has too much nitrogen. Scab is common with too much nitrogen. Leafy veggies like partially composted or aged manure but the risk of coliform bacteria is too high to risk it. Better to let the sun cook out all the dangerous bugs first.
Linda


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

All root crops, as I understand, can have distorted growth if given fresh manure. I thought potatoes got kind of a scaly growth on their skins if grown in fresh manure.

I dont' use it fresh.


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## Jennifer Brewer (Aug 3, 2005)

I think it is called "forking". I thought it happened when the soil was too rich. In regular soil, the carrot develops a deep tap root to find nutrients- in fresh manure, this is not necessary and the forking develops. The same thing can happen to beets and radishes but to a lesser extent.


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## northstarpermie (May 11, 2006)

Jennifer is correct. Forking is what it is called. 

You can use any manure in you garden as long as it is composted first. Any pebble pewp(rabbits, goats, deer) can go directly into your garden, no composting necessary. 

People have complained about composting horse, cow, and pig manure and still having weeds grow from it. If weeds are growing from your manure, it was not composted right or long enough. If composted right, the heat from the pile will kill any seeds in it.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I would not use pig poo either. Not even after composting it. It's good for building up the soil, but I won't grow a garden on any land where pigs have been until the pigs have been off the land for 3 years.


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## Twogun (Jan 31, 2006)

DoubleD said:


> Not sure about his claims... but pigs are omnivores (like humans) and I would not use pig poo in my vegetable gardens or composts. Dog poop, cat poop, pig poop, and human wastes do not belong in a vegatable garden soil (imo).



You can add chickens to that list, as well. It's good practice not to add raw manure to an area where you grow root crops.


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## Rockin'B (Jan 20, 2006)

The excess nitrogen thing makes sense to me. I could not figure out what else about pig manure could do that. Thanks for the info!


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## northstarpermie (May 11, 2006)

Spinner said:


> I would not use pig poo either. Not even after composting it. It's good for building up the soil, but I won't grow a garden on any land where pigs have been until the pigs have been off the land for 3 years.


Just curious as to why? I am always open to hear why someone won't.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Old wives tales. Composting properly kills all the bad stuff and after that Poop is poop.


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## northstarpermie (May 11, 2006)

YuccaFlatsRanch said:


> Old wives tales. Composting properly kills all the bad stuff and after that Poop is *dirt*.


Fixed it.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

northstarpermie said:


> Just curious as to why? I am always open to hear why someone won't.


I've always been told that pig poo contains bacteria that can stay in the ground 2 years, so the ground is safe to plant the 3rd year. There's a possibility that some of the bacteria will even survive composting. There are safer things to use so why take a chance. I don't use it on flower gardens either. I dig in the flower gardens to weed them and plant, etc. and I don't want to play in bad bacteria.


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## marcir (Mar 15, 2006)

OK, I'm gonna be twisting in the wind here, but I think all the worries about E-coli and other bug-a-boos are a little bit of over-reaction....fear-mongering by media-hype to divert our attention from our true enemies. We choose to work in Nature and with Nature, imho, we should trust that Her predictable abilities and energies, although not unlimited, will keep the earth alive and safe.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I let our pigs 'till' up the veggie garden for me each fall. Any manure left is well composted by the following spring.

My piggers love me!


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

I have always let our pigs til up our garden every fall. Well composted pig manure is as safe as any other well composted manure to use for vegetables. 
As far as pigs being omnivorous and therefore not suitable for vegetable garden manure-makers, my pigs only eat what I give them. I don't give them any meat at all. They eat grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, and eggs, and all the water they want. I don't eat anything that eats any meat other than bugs and such, so I don't feed my future meat supply any meat. It's that simple.


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## mousebandit (Feb 14, 2007)

I've heard that "pellet poo" (rabbits, goat, etc.) can go on plants directly, or be dug in when planting, but I'm wondering what the technical reason is for that? How is it different than, say, chicken or horse poo? 

Thanks! 

Tracey Mouse (who has tons of rabbit and goat poo, and is dying to put this stuff in the garden!)


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

mousebandit: rabbit & goat manure are cool manures, others are hot manures. Hot manure will burn the plants to death. That's why hot poo has to be composted.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I didn't realize that goat poo was also a cool manure. Thanks!


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## Rockin'B (Jan 20, 2006)

marcir said:


> OK, I'm gonna be twisting in the wind here, but I think all the worries about E-coli and other bug-a-boos are a little bit of over-reaction....fear-mongering by media-hype to divert our attention from our true enemies. We choose to work in Nature and with Nature, imho, we should trust that Her predictable abilities and energies, although not unlimited, will keep the earth alive and safe.


You're not twisting in the wind as far as I'm concerned. I can't imagine how the generations before us managed to live with all the "unsafe" practices, like using manure in the garden. I agree with your comments about Nature.


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## northstarpermie (May 11, 2006)

Rockin'B said:


> marcir said:
> 
> 
> > OK, I'm gonna be twisting in the wind here, but I think all the worries about E-coli and other bug-a-boos are a little bit of over-reaction....fear-mongering by media-hype to divert our attention from our true enemies. We choose to work in Nature and with Nature, imho, we should trust that Her predictable abilities and energies, although not unlimited, will keep the earth alive and safe.
> ...


I do not think you are twisting the wind either. I compost everything(includes our human manure~I did say everything). I just like to hear why the others choose not to use what nature provides for us to keep the soil healthy. Nothing on our land goes to waste. Before anyone gets icked out on that, please read this. No excuse not to as it is a FREE book. I recommend reading it to learn what composting does. The only manure or waste we do not use in our compost is anything from someone on birth control as estrogen does not break down...ever and some medications...it's all in the book too.


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## mousebandit (Feb 14, 2007)

As to the hot and cool manures - is that a term for how fast the nitrogen is taken up by the roots? Or how much nitrogen is in the manure to be taken up? (Just trying to understand the chemistry here, so I can learn how to tweak the rules!)

Tracey Mouse


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

How much is in the manure.
Composting will mellow manure a lot and then it's not an issue.

Any fresher stuff we have goes into the corn ground (cow chicken rabbit or goat) or vine crop ground. I never compost my cow manure any more than what it gets during the time in the pen.
Plant my poatoes right under it with no problems.

Never had pig manure myself but have never heard anything bad about it till this thread.


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