Piggy Poo?

I've been offered all of the 'high quality' piggy poo I can use. It's from a feeder house where the pigs are fattened for market using only company approved feeds. The pigs are never outside and are constantly monitored.

I'm going to take some for my ornamentals, but have reservations about my veggie garden. (the spinach e-coli scare)

I'm one who eats whatever I fancy in my garden as I'm tending it and I'm not sure I can make the transition to washing all produce thoroughly. I do wash when it comes inside for cooking or processing, but I just can't resist the occasional snack as I'm working.

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this...but want to hear it anyway......I'm thinking ornamentals, yes...veggies, no...

Melody, Pig manure is the best fertilizer I ever used on the squash family. I would not use any type of manure on root crops or greens, but for other veggies, it is excellent.

I figured as a fertilizer it would be great...I'm just concerned for e-coli and such...especially if friends and family don't wash thoroughly.

Should I compost first? That's what I do with cow poo. and I haven't used a ton of that..(as I don't have access to mountains of it)

The best thing to do is compost it. The second best thing is to dig it into the soil in the fall. I would never use manure of any kind on any plant in the spring. I would not be afraid of e-coli from compost or fall usage however someone with more knowlege might have comments on the fall usage. I use to raise a lot of hogs and I have never seen high quality piggy poo!!!

It is me again. I went on google and did a little research. Hogs were not listed as a source of e-coli and cattle seemed to be the main source. A few other animals were also listed. Another site stated that the "USDA unable to detect Escherichia coli 0157:H7 infection in U. S. swine herd. Through the NAHMS Swine 95 study, the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories examined 4,229 swine fecal samples collected from 152 randomly selected pork operations in the 6 top swine-producing states. No samples were found positive for E-coli 0157:H7. Without testing every hog in the country, we cannot say with 100 percent certainty the E.coli 0157:H7 is not shed by finisher hogs in the U.S., says Dr. Bush, However, the statistical design of this study does allow us to be confident that if this organism does exist in hogs, it is shed by less than 0.07 percent of the population."

It does not appear that you have anything to worry about. I can assure you we did not refer to it as piggy poo or even fecal.

Compost it for sure . I use it a tonne at a time into garden beds prior to planting . Hoe it into the soil , leave it a while and long term results are fantastic . Citrus love it but I dont think I would be using it directly on ANY veges that I would eat either.

Holty.
P.S
I have to buy mine !!!!!

I was wondering what you decided about composting your "piggy poo". You may know a compost pile needs to heat up to a certain temp. but not to hot to be effective and safe. I am amazed how much e-coli is out there. There was a long article in the Denver Post today. I suspect the growers are applying raw cow manure to the fields and not giving it time to break down. From what i gather, the laws are there but the enforcement is not (in the U.S.) Wish they would do a better job of enfocement and have to post the name of the country where the produce comes from. Best to you, Dale.

I haven't done anything yet, I'm in the middle of a huge re-model in my house and gardens are taking a back seat at the moment.

I won't spread fresh manure on my veggie garden, the stuff I've been offered is 'aged'...and I'll compost it more before using it...probably won't hit my garden till next fall.

Melody,
Almost any animal manure, if composted properly, over time (surprisingly, even human waste) will be a safe soil amendment. (Hope I don't get any negative comments from repulsed readers. I'm only repeating the comments of Jacob Mittleider, lifelong advocate of good gardening methods, particularly for poor farmers in third world countries.)
Since you do not intend to make use of the pig stuff til next fall, you will have all summer to ensure that it is all well composted. And to be on the safe side, dig it into the soil rather than simply spread it accross the surface of the planting bed.