Poor handling and shipping practices can also wreak havoc. Manure can contaminate irrigation and wash water as well as processing and storage equipment. How does a crop become contaminated? There are several ways your food can get a “touch of the squirts”. coli as a result of fresh manure added to the garden improperly. Sadly, I read about a 2 year old boy in Maine who died from E. Lettuce, cabbage and sprouts are the most common carriers. The other half was from produce already contaminated with E. Half of that was from cross contamination in restaurants. The same study broke down the causes of the outbreaks, and produce contamination was reported to be on the rise – more than 30% of all E. There could be hundreds or even thousands more cases that were never treated officially. Can you guess the number? 5,000? 10,000? How about 73,000! And that is what is reported by medical facilities. coli illnesses in the United States annually. What is the threat statistically speaking? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an article in 2005 that estimated the total number of E. Of course, washing your veggies will help. Now you’re playing Russian roulette with your health. Picture a contaminated water droplet splashing up onto your vegetables.
Imagine yourself watering your plants after working fresh manure into the soil. Most likely, farms spread it in the fall or use it to condition a field well before planting an edible crop.Īt home, don’t take a chance that you’ll eat contaminated food! One university study illustrated it with a simple drop of water. You’ve probably seen farmers applying it like there’s no tomorrow and wondered, “if they can do it, why not me?”. Poop “fresh off the press” should not be worked into the soil during the growing season. The high probability that it will burn and dehydrate your plants becomes second fiddle to a bigger concern – nasty illnesses caused by pathogens like E. For us home gardeners, applying fresh manure to an edible garden is not the wisest choice. Manure is a prime source of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
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