If you are new to gardening composting might be a method you use to introduce organic material and nutrients into your soil but before you begin you should understand that there can be some problems associated with collecting and processing your own compost.
Processing compost for flower beds is really not as much of a concern and thats because you are not consuming the flowers in your garden. When it comes to vegetable gardens we have to be very careful about everything we introduce because eventually we will be eating it.
Manure is one product that I will never use in my garden. First I don’t have livestock that would produce free manure and second there are better ways to control your nutrients than to use animal waste. If you are a medium to large scale farmer that does have plenty of manure you might be searching for ways to get rid of it but you don’t want to introduce this material into your vegetable gardens or fields if it hasn’t been prepared correctly. The first step for preparing manure is to collect and pile enough of it in a mixture of other organic materials that it will begin to heat up. The manure must reach a temperature where all bacteria and disease causing agents die from the heat. Normally this is a temperature of 140F for an extended period of time. During the process you will need to turn the pile on a regular basis and make sure that every part of the pile has been processed fully to make it safe. Some farmers will get away with introducing green manure or not fully treated manure and no one will get sick but every year you hear about ecoli and other outbreaks that take the lives of dozens and hundreds of people just in the USA. It really is a process that must be taken seriously with full instruction and the resulting manure should be tested before it is used. Most of the time it is not and even if you are purchasing bagged manure you still have to consider there are other ways to supplement your garden without resorting to animal poop.
Chemical Based Supplements In Your Vegetable Garden Are Safe
Now fully processed manure and other natural products can be converted into chemicals and at that point all risk of introducing disease into your garden has been eliminated. This process is not something that you can do on your own but you can purchase chemical grade supplements and you shouldn’t be worried about using chemical based supplements in your garden.
Whether you are buying a chemical based fertilizer or something like pulverized limestone you are getting a product that is uniform and safe to use. If you have special health concerns then you should consult your doctor and a agriculture specialist that can guide you on your use of any product in your garden.
Vegetable Waste Should Not Be Directly Introduced Into Your Garden
For many new gardeners the idea of turning under plant waste is something they consider safe but just like manure can cause problems you can also cause problems and disease in your garden if you think you can simply turn under or bury garden clippings.
Garden waste needs to be processed in piles that break down over a full year and during that time the pile of compost will need to reach the temperature that will kill disease and bacteria. This process requires turning of the pile and monitoring of internal temperatures. The best rule of thumb is to start 2 piles the first would be for this year and the second for last years. When the new season begins you can use the compost that is now 2 years old in your garden.
Tomato plants are probably the worst offender as any disease that might be on one plant will be introduced into the soil which can infect not only this years crops but crops for many seasons.
This is one of the reasons that farmers will rotate crops. Crop rotation really is a science and what you are doing is grouping your vegetables into categories where disease can easily be passed from one type of plant to another. When you rotate your plants you are hopefully planting next years plants so that these diseases won’t be passed to other vegetables.
Because the list is too large you should find a listing of these plant groups and try to rotate your plants.
However spreading compost that is not fully treated is like sprinkling disease and bacteria throughout your garden intentionally.
Yard Waste Should Not Be Used In Your Vegetable Garden
Many people do not discard their yard waste but instead turn it into compost. This is not a bad idea but this compost can not be used in a vegetable garden. Leafs from trees can be acidic which can cause you problems. Some trees and bushes have a natural herbicide in their bark which will stunt the growth or stop the production in your vegetable garden.
Grass clippings can contain higher than acceptable herbicides or pesticides which are not safe for human consumption.
There are many problems and no real benefits from using yard waste as a vegetable garden compost but this material can be used in other ways around your home. Branches can be chipped into mulch, Leafs and grass clippings can be composted for use in flower beds or just used for organic fill in your yard.
Final Note
Composting seems like an amazingly simple thing to do but it really isn’t. Farmers have been learning for thousands of years what products are best for maintaining a safe growing environment. However some of the things that farmers do on the large scale are not the things that the home gardener should get involved in.
As you can see I am not fond of the idea of introducing huge piles of animal waste into my vegetable garden. It still bothers me some that those delicious mushrooms that we eat are grown in a base of primarily manure so I have pretty much given up on eating mushrooms anymore. Not to even mention most chefs say you shouldn’t even wash them. Its a hard thought to get past.
But in reality the home Gardner really only has their own methods to rely on when it comes to the safety of the produce they grow. For this reason it is important that you research many different sources. Talk with your local garden supply center but realize that those seasonal employees often have less training than you do. Your options are to use well known and established sources for your information such as the USDA which has compiled information you can read and can also answer questions at your local office. However people are human so no matter which source you use always make sure you back that up with other good sources.
You are growing food that you want to be healthy so it will keep you healthy. So do your research before you begin and understand the risks and benefits of any choice you make.