Duck bedding in garden

[Megan_Dee]

Hi! I’m new to using duck bedding as compost.

without really thinking about it, in November, I emptied duck bedding (straw, leaves, duck poop) into one of my garden beds that was not filled all the way. There was some dirt and compost in there already but had some extra space.

I’m prepping my garden now and while it has composted down even in the last couple weeks, there is still a lot of straw in it there.

It’s mostly dirt and compost and still has some straw. It’s in the direct sun and gets rained on and then heated up. I turn it over a couple times a week and there are LOTS of worms.

Now that it’s warming up, do you think it’ll be safe to plant veggies in come the end of may? Do I have to worry about getting sick from the duck bedding after all this time? Especially if I’m not planting any root veggies in this bed. So the actual food part won’t be in the soil.

 

[Megan_Dee]

oops here is a picture

Hi! I’m new to using duck bedding as compost.

without really thinking about it, in November, I emptied duck bedding (straw, leaves, duck poop) into one of my garden beds that was not filled all the way. There was some dirt and compost in there already but had some extra space.

I’m prepping my garden now and while it has composted down even in the last couple weeks, there is still a lot of straw in it there.

It’s mostly dirt and compost and still has some straw. It’s in the direct sun and gets rained on and then heated up. I turn it over a couple times a week and there are LOTS of words.

Now that it’s warming up, do you think it’ll be safe to plant veggies in come the end of may? Do I have to worry about getting sick from the duck bedding after all this time? Especially if I’m not planting any root veggies in this bed. So the actual food part won’t be in the soil.

 

[Isaac 0]

You should be fine, I use duck/chicken/goose manure on my garden all the time, I believe its recommended manure should sit out for only a few months before it goes in contact with vegetables. If it smells like earthy dirt and not like manure you should be ok.

 

[Megan_Dee]

You should be fine, I use duck/chicken/goose manure on my garden all the time, I believe its recommended manure should sit out for only a few months before it goes in contact with vegetables. If it smells like earthy dirt and not like manure you should be ok.

Okay thanks! It’s starting to smell pretty earthy and breaking down weekly. It’s been sitting since November and will stay in the sun until May 20th when I plant my summer veggies

 

[CoriM]

I've wondered also. I am planting potatoes in straw and using my old duck bedding from 6 months ago. Anyone ever do this?

 

[Megan_Dee]

I've wondered also. I am planting potatoes in straw and using my old duck bedding from 6 months ago. Anyone ever do this?

oh interesting! I’m planting potatoes this year also but wasn’t brave enough to put my root veggies in the duck bedding. I don’t know enough about the safety of duck bedding yet to know how careful to be.