No Manure Gardening

[Richard Myers]

We have commented on the studies that have shown the ability of the spongiform (mad cow, mad deer, mad sheep) diseases to be spread through soil contaminated by manure from these sick animals. One topic where this can be found is in our Healthful Living Forum.

[Richard Myers]

Met a gardener today who  does not want to use horse manure because of the drugs being given to the horses. She has been bringing in wood chips for a few years and is quite happy with the results. She found it interesting that I had come to the same conclusion. She did not know about the cancer connection  between animals and  humans. She does now. 

[Richard Myers]

We have noted in other posts that prions, the infective agent in the transmission of spongiform diseases such as Mad Cow, Mad Sheep, and Mad Deer diseases, can infect soil for extended periods of time. It is now seen that the prions can move from the roots of plants to higher up structures in plants. This is bad news for animals and humans. The prions can be excreted in urine and feces in cows, sheep, goats, deer, elk, cats, mink, and who knows what other animals that can be carriers of spongiform diseases. 

Grass Plants Bind, Retain, Uptake, and Transport Infectious Prions

Sandra Pritzkow, Rodrigo Morales, Fabio Moda3, Uffaf Khan, Glenn C. Telling, Edward Hoover, Claudio Soto
IRCCS Foundation Carlo Besta Neurological Institute, 20133 Milan, Italy; May 14, 2015

Prions are the protein-based infectious agents responsible for prion diseases. Environmental prion contamination has been implicated in disease transmission. Here, we analyzed the binding and retention of infectious prion protein (PrPSc) to plants. Small quantities of PrPSc contained in diluted brain homogenate or in excretory materials (urine and feces) can bind to wheat grass roots and leaves. Wild-type hamsters were efficiently infected by ingestion of prion-contaminated plants. The prion-plant interaction occurs with prions from diverse origins, including chronic wasting disease. Furthermore, leaves contaminated by spraying with a prion-containing preparation retained PrPSc for several weeks in the living plant. Finally, plants can uptake prions from contaminated soil and transport them to aerial parts of the plant (stem and leaves). These findings demonstrate that plants can efficiently bind infectious prions and act as carriers of infectivity, suggesting a possible role of environmental prion contamination in the horizontal transmission of the disease.   source

Animals infected with a spongiform disease can infect the soil.  Plants can pick up the prions. Animals and humans that eat the plants that have picked up the prions can be infected. Do prions get into fruit on trees, the study does not say. What is being  said is that a plant like spinach, kale, collards, lettuce, and broccoli if planted in infected soil can become infected, the prions can move up from the roots into the leaves and thus pose a risk to those who eat the plant.

[Dorine]

Imagine what is going into our systems when we buy from the grocery stores even if it is organically grown. Human sludge is organic.
No wonder there is so much cancer and illness of all kinds.

[Richard Myers]

Yes, that is the  point.  10,000 are truly falling at our side.  And, I am at times told that a strict vegetarian has Alzheimer's,  attempting to point another cause rather than prions. But, strict vegetarians can come in contact with prions. How about gel capsules for herbs?  Not washing hands after touching pet food? Eating at potlucks. Eating organic food grown in manure or in a field where cows grazed that had BSE?

We cannot guard against it all, but we can do what is within our reach. Then  having done what we can do, we leave the rest with  God. It is when  we turn a blind eye to the truth and decide we are going to throw caution to the  wind that God cannot help us.

[Richard Myers]

Here is some helpful information as to why we do not use manure in our gardens....and why it is safer to grow your own food. Infected Food

[Richard Myers]

[Ed Sutton]

Interesting, and the growing plants create this years produce, and next years fertilizer and ground cover, while minimizing plant to human pathogens, all in the same growing space.

Broadcast garden lime on top of the soil keeping with the no till experiment, the BetterBoy tomatoes are staggered two plants wide in the row to slow vertical growth and minimize why blossom end rot occurs.

So if you made a ten foot long and wide test patch of wide row growing, 24" wide growing zone for the row,

grew hairy vetch & rye for green manure, let it get up 12+ inches tall,

mowed it down & lightly tilled it under, and immediately covered the tilled dirt with mulch to be moved when planting,

waited 6-8 weeks to plant letting the green manure rot, during which time you grafted brandywine's and Cherokee Purple tomatoes onto BetterBoy rootstock for increased disease resistance

and only moved mulch to plant them

and planted one or two maxifort tomato plants 6-8 inches away on the east and west side of the grafted tomato, then restore the mulch. 

Then as soon as the maxifort's are tall enough cut the stalk a length enough to easily bend over and also graft onto the BetterBoy rootstock section to feed the superior maxifort vigor to the BetterBoy root stock. 

Grow short growing clover and heirloom soybeans between the tomatoes.

Sidedress with good compost that has been protected from being rained on, and also using various rockdust, and grass clippings as additions to the mulch.

Any takers for the experiment ?    Even use a temp. hoophouse to warm things up sooner & extend the growing season.

[Ed Sutton]

Found a supplier for maxifort rootstock seeds     http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6895-maxifort.aspx#

side grafting  http://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/information/tomatoes-side-grafting-8226.pdf   

top grafting   http://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/information/tomatoes-top-grafting-vigor-disease-resistance-8973.pdf 

a very small limited trial in 2007     http://rvpadmin.cce.cornell.edu/uploads/doc_37.pdf 

[Dorine]

Every January I start thinking of seeds and gardening. Although we can't do much in our climate before April there's a lot of planning I like to have out of the way.

Last year we planted a patch of Comfrey. It grew like a weed. I cut it up and put it on the compost pile. It is suppose to be excellent fertilizer. I used to use horse manure years ago from horses of our neighbours that I knew were healthy.

Since then I have relied on Alfalfa, sea weed, compost and fallen leaves. This year I will add Comfrey (which I'm also going to start making into a healing salve). There is absolutely no need to use animal manures. Nature provides all the nutrients needed for a healthy productive garden.  In fact our garden now is much better than when using manure.

[rahab]

I did the same with my comfrey. Harvested some for a salve and the rest on the garden.
Fun to think about spring. 

[Richard Myers]

Feb 1 is here and we see Daffodils in bloom!

I did something new five months ago. I scraped a large area, about about 15x15.  I then moved soil I had piled up last year to create a semi raised bed 15x 15.

With fresh loose soil I sprinkled kale, collard, mustard, and mixed color chard seeds.  Then walked over all of the seeds. Set up a couple of sprinklers and watered twice daily until seedlings were established.

The plants are in groups since I spread the seeds in groups. I have never had so many greens in my garden. How do I eat them. Either salad or stir-fry for breakfast. Lots to share with neighbors. Have a problem with aphids.  They love the blue curly kale. If I neglect washing the kale, the aphids take over. They have  not touched the chard. In my area, I have found that planting greens in the fall works best. Last year for the first time I got large heads of Napa Cabbage. At first I did not recognize them. They just appeared in early spring after most of my greens had died during the summer. It was a great blessing since I do not buy it because of the cost.

And yes, it is time to start getting ready to start seeds for summer garden. Want to plant some tomatoes in march if weather permits. Our last frost is often in middle of April. But, I am willing to lose some plants in hopes we do not have to wait until April for the last frost.   

[rahab]

Almost  my herbs have survived the winter.
Waiting for the arugula to come up soon.
Onions are already sprouting 

Love thinking about spring 

[Richard Myers]

Amen!!  I see the Daffodils are blooming!!  Time to start seeds!