Using horse manure in a vegetable garden

[Mtn_trails]

I’ve always used manure on my flower garden and they’ve bloomed right into November. This year is my first for a vegetable garden and I’ve already dumped 1-1/2 large wheelbarrow loads of semi-composted manure into it. Also, I’ve added some fresh stuff to my blueberry bushes, or twigs as they’re so small :lol:, I read up that BB like a more acid soil so what better way?

[subk]

Happen to see this in a garden forum…

The U.S. National Organic Program which sets the standards for organic production says (rule 205.203) that uncomposted manure should be incorporated into the soil 120 days before harvest for edible foods that come in contact with the soil or 90 days before harvest for foods whose edible portions do not come in direct contact with the soil.

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr;rgn=div5;view=text;node=7%3A3.1.1.9.32;idno=7;sid=bf165925f395353921ec628f936e9f2d;cc=ecfr#7:3.1.1.9.32.3.354.4

That’s 120 days from harvest for raw manure!

If it meets the NOP standards to be called compost I don’t think there is any restriction as to when it can be incorporated.

[ksojerio]

I take manure directly from the corral and dump it around my peach and pecan trees. Never had a problem and have been doing it for years.

[RemediosCaudill101]

You shouldn’t use this since it’s not composted properly. If you still want to grow organic products then bone meal, fish meal, and blood meal will make great alternatives. Adding earthworm will also help.

[Laurierace]

I am pretty sure it fully composted in the five years since the OP asked her question

[2DogsFarm]

@Laurierace

I am pretty sure it fully composted in the five years since the OP asked her question

:lol:

[Paks]

I’ll just post this tip. If you are planning a new garden in the spring this fall put 6 inches of manure where you plan on having your garden and put black plastic over it for 6 weeks. All the weed seeds will sprout and die. Then take the plastic off and let the freeze thaw cycle work the manure into the soil for you. In the spring you will have 6 inches of loam to plant your garden in no tilling needed.

[subk]

@Paks

If you are planning a new garden in the spring this fall put 6 inches of manure where you plan on having your garden and put black plastic over it for 6 weeks. All the weed seeds will sprout and die.

The black plastic will kill the seeds will but the lack of oxygen will also kill much of the soil food web you are trying to create. I just put down cardboard over the grass then the six inches of manure on top of it. Kills the grass but not the micro organisms that are so beneficial to healthy plant growth. The cardboard will decompose or be eaten by worms who think it is candy–another benefit.

[StormyDay]

I know this thread is old but manure will give you the best darn sweet potatoes and pumpkins you have ever seen. Annual flowers don’t seem to do as well though.

[saultgirl]

I wanted to get manure put down this fall but I was too late… ground is snow-covered now!

[Graymaresrule]

@hundredacres

Honestly, I don’t know. There are so many conflicting beliefs and theories on this, even among “master gardeners” in my neighborhood. But I knew a little girl who got e-coli and her grandparents had a garden with fresh horse manure and though they never found out how she got it, it’s always bothered me that it could have been the garden. In my opinion, I feel better to be safe than sorry. I di use fresh manure on my flowers in a manure “tea” (fresh manure watered down and soaked) but I handle it carefully. We compost as I said, for the vegetables.

Everyone except a brand new newborn
​has E. Coli.

I bed my stalls with sawdust pellets and dump the manure right onto the garden. Sunlight is a good disinfectant

[Palm_Beach]

Let’s not spread internet hysteria and misinformation. There are many strains of e. coli and only a couple cause problems.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/e-coli/basics/causes/con-20032105

And stay away from raw cookie dough (not sure if this includes the ice cream flavor):

https://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/ecoli/index.html

There is not enough information for the FDA to state when/if raw manure should be applied to crops. They have an interim recommendation:

"To minimize the chance of contamination, we also stated that we believe it would be prudent for farmers to comply with the USDA’s National Organic Program standards related to raw manure use while the research and risk assessment is ongoing. These call for a 120-day interval between the application of raw manure for crops in contact with the soil and 90 days for crops not in contact with the soil…

Where does composted manure fit into the picture?
There is a distinction and we respect it, related to the difference between raw manure and composted manure. Specifically, the focus of the risk assessment is on raw manure. We describe the parameters for determining the status of a “treated” or “untreated” BSAAO in the Produce Safety final rule. Our concern for the purposes of this risk assessment is any manure that has not been processed to completion to adequately reduce pathogens. This clearly includes raw manure but could also include aged piles and incompletely processed manure, among other types.
"

I’d read up on manure and organic farming to get a better understanding of the risks of e. coli and crops.

[Sing_Mia_Song]

Please don’t use fresh manure for things you’re planning to eat: https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm482426.htm

[BruBoy]

I’ve thought about using the manure for our gardens but was concerned about the wormer, bute, Dex, Previcox, etc., etc. that it could contain. Does composting the manure decrease or eliminate the risk of contaminating edible plants with drug substances?

[Palm_Beach]

@BruBoy

I’ve thought about using the manure for our gardens but was concerned about the wormer, bute, Dex, Previcox, etc., etc. that it could contain. Does composting the manure decrease or eliminate the risk of contaminating edible plants with drug substances?

None of the above. There is no withdrawal time for human consumption of products that have been treated/contaminated with bute.

"Good fact-checking is essential when it comes to horse slaughter, especially the long list of drugs present in U.S. horse meat, including Phenylbutazone, which causes cancers that are fatal to humans, particularly babies.

Phenylbutazone (or “bute”), is a painkiller used legally by more than 85% of U.S. horse owners to treat everyday soreness and inflammation, but banned completely in food-producing animals, including horses, by the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies in Canada, the UK, and the EU. Interestingly, in 1949 it was used to treat gout and rheumatoid arthritis in humans, but was later banned when its carcinogenic effects were discovered."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/vickery…/#173b816731e2

I don’t know if there have been studies relating to whether or not veterinary medications will be taken up into a plant that has been grown in soil composted with horse manure containing those drugs. I know that composting will decrease some of the drugs, but SMZ does not. And again, bute is a carcinogen and does not belong in the garden.

[hosspuller]

Check with your hay supplier or barn’s supplier to make sure they have not used herbicides like “Grazon Next” it has aminopyralid. It makes for weed free hay but it will pass through a horse and kill your tomatoes or broad leaf plants. Composting a few months does not degrade it. It takes Soil bacteria over time to degrade it.

A responsible hay grower will make sure anybody buying their hay with aminopyralid , is aware of the pass through effect. I make my buyers sign a fact sheet when I use Grazon next.

[BruBoy]

@Palm Beach

None of the above. There is no withdrawal time for human consumption of products that have been treated/contaminated with bute.

"Good fact-checking is essential when it comes to horse slaughter, especially the long list of drugs present in U.S. horse meat, including Phenylbutazone, which causes cancers that are fatal to humans, particularly babies.

Phenylbutazone (or “bute”), is a painkiller used legally by more than 85% of U.S. horse owners to treat everyday soreness and inflammation, but banned completely in food-producing animals, including horses, by the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies in Canada, the UK, and the EU. Interestingly, in 1949 it was used to treat gout and rheumatoid arthritis in humans, but was later banned when its carcinogenic effects were discovered."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/vickery…/#173b816731e2

I don’t know if there have been studies relating to whether or not veterinary medications will be taken up into a plant that has been grown in soil composted with horse manure containing those drugs. I know that composting will decrease some of the drugs, but SMZ does not. And again, bute is a carcinogen and does not belong in the garden.

Thanks for the information! I’m going to continue to refrain from using my horse manure for edible plants.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

@Megaladon

Horse manure does not need to be composted before you use it. We have had tremendous success with fresh manure, planting the seed in it, and having a bountiful harvest, with no “burning” involved. In fact, while the fresh manure is composting it creates much-needed-to-germinate-heat for both your seeds and later plants. I have even read a book published from the 1930s (I think) that says how beneficial fresh manure is and you get more crops vs. composted manure. Use what you got and enjoy your garden!

I agree. I’ve used both fresh cow manure from my friend’s cows and fresh horse manure from my horses. Some mixed with hours old manure, some with a day or so old manure. It’s something like 1-1-1 isn’t it? The fertilizer in the stores tends to be 10-10-10 or even 20-20-20, so it’s far more potent and likely to burn plants than is the cow and horse manure.

Tomatoes do love it. So do camellias and azaleas. Beats paying all that money for a truckload of peat moss, which is guess what!

[hoopoe]

https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+3159

studies pointing to Butes carcinogenicity in humans are deemed flawed or inadequate

carry on

[Palm_Beach]

@hoopoe

https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/s…rm+@DOCNO+3159

studies pointing to Butes carcinogenicity in humans are deemed flawed or inadequate

carry on

Did you actually read everything? The article you reference is from 1987. It’s my understanding that bute is no longer used for humans due to adverse side effects and better drugs being made available. I’d urge everyone to do their own research on this and not take the word of anonymous internet posters, especially in situations such as this where health can be adversely affected.

Phenylbutazone tablets and boluses. … (1) Dogs - … Indications for use. For the relief of inflammatory conditions associated with the musculoskeletal system. Limitations . Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. …(2) Horses - … Indications for use. For the relief of inflammatory conditions associated with the musculoskeletal system. Limitations . Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Federal law prohibits the use of this drug in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older. Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.
[21 CFR 520.1720a (USFDA); U.S. National Archives and Records Administration’s Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Available from, as of July 15, 2010: http://www.ecfr.gov PEER REVIEWED