What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

I am only retelling what I was told by a pumper serviceman a number of years ago. I don't remember the exact number of years between dumping, when safe to graze cattle, and when safe to grow food. But that is the system they had in place - he told me that maybe 3 years ago at the last time I had my septic tanks pumped.

According to my source of instant knowledge, Alexia, she reports that it takes 2-3 years for human sewage to become safe for growing food - depending on the weather where the sewage is dumped. That timeframe sounds about right from what I was told by the pumper truck guy.

When I was in the navy, we visited a number of third world countries where they grow their food in fresh human manure. When we pulled into a foreign port and bought fresh food and vegetables from those countries, we would have to clean them in a bleach wash before cooking. It was safe to eat after that, but none of us liked the thought of eating food grown in human manure.

But if DH is in the health department, he is probably much more current on the rules and regulations pertaining to human waste here in the US. I know the home septic system requirements where I live have changed a number of times over the years and any time we want to make improvements on our property with new structures, we have to get our septic system recertified before building.

I live on a lake, and our septic requirements are the highest standards on the books. I agree with high requirements. Everybody wants clean water in the lake.

He is CONSTANTLY dealing with raw sewage complaints... So he knows those rules pretty well.

I'm not saying YOU were in the wrong or casting doubt on what you were told. That's probably what they are doing... And the worker may not even be aware that it's illegal. You'd be shocked at what people and companies do with sewage. Even our own Dept of Corrections got fined this... Crazy.

On a personal note, I do occasionally put diluted urine in the compost although never directly on the garden itself even though I know many people do. Urine is supposed to be sterile and debatably safe for use in the garden. Human feces, on the other hand, are not sterile or safe. There are outbreaks of e.coli and other pathogens that can be linked to sewage use. No thanks. Not worth it to risk my family or financial liability that way when there are a gazillion other forms of safe fertilizer I can use instead.

 

[gtaus]

Me too. I save tomato seeds, will do beans this year and some of my bee-happy flowers. I plan to order some seeds this fall, after I see how my various tomatoes, etc. do.

I have just started to save seeds. Mostly, bean seeds. However, I made a mistake and mixed my bush bean seeds with my vine bean seeds. So, this year when I planted my bean seeds, I got a mix of both types in the planter. Oh well, they all taste good. But in the future, I will be more careful to keep the seeds separate and label the envelopes.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I am thinking I need a better way to organize and store my seeds. Right now I just have them in a small 4X6 inch cardboard box...

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All my current seeds fit in that little box. However, I am starting to save seeds from plants we are growing. So, I can imagine needing more room for the seeds. Also, I have been reading and watching that it would be better to keep them dark and airtight if possible. Another consideration is making the seed box mouse proof. Last year Dear Wife saved some seeds, left them on a plate to dry out, and one night a mouse must have found them and ate them all. She was devastated. So any storage system will have to be mouse proof as well.

I looked on Amazon and their "Seed Boxes" are pretty darned expensive. I mean, some of them are nothing more than a metal can with "Seeds" painted on it...

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Well, heck, I know that Harbor Freight has waterproof and airtight ammo boxes on sale all the time. I found this 11.6 X 4.25 X 6 inch ammo box on sale this month for $3.99...

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That's the smallest ammo box they have at the store. They have larger sizes, too. But this small ammo box would be double what I currently have for storage.

My goal is to stop buying new seeds every year. If possible, I will save seeds from our plants when we can, but I would also like to buy seed packs at the end of the season at great discounts and save them for the next year.

I also checked YouTube to see if anyone was using these water resistant ammo boxes for seed storage and found this video short...

The small ammo box (with twice the capacity I am using right now) looks like it might be good enough for my current and immediate future needs. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated. I am open to all suggestions. Thanks.

I use these picture storage boxes to store my seeds. I have 2 of them. A clear one for veggies & herbs and a colored one for flowers. They work great and all me to put labels on the cartridges so I can easily separate and find things. I buy them really cheap on sale.

 

[Sequel]

Looking for a fun new pepper to grow we found this little jewel, it fits in everywhere.

https://www.rareseeds.com/pepper-hot-jigsaw



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Very pretty! I found a variegated pepper this year called Fish. The peppers are still green though so not as flashy as yours.

 

[Farmer13]

Me too. I save tomato seeds, will do beans this year and some of my bee-happy flowers. I plan to order some seeds this fall, after I see how my various tomatoes, etc. do.

We ought to start a seed swap between members sticky.
I joke as I sit & count my seeds from my plants that some seed dealer took me for 40 or 50 cents per seed. Now I have hundreds of those 40 & 50 cent seeds LOL. Why not trade seeds with other gardeners & spread our wealth?

 

[Sequel]

I moved to VT from New Mexico a year or so back. The only remotely spicy food around here is Nepalese, and I can't get takeout every day. The first few habaneros haven't been too spicy, unfortunately. Maybe I'll need to grow some reapers next year.

It could be they are getting too much water. If you can tent them a bit to keep the rain off it might help them heat wise. I grow them in the Pacific Northwest and have noticed as long as they are on the dry side at harvest they taste much better!

 

[Sequel]

The last door is completed! A smaller door on south end of the run. It is held in place for at least a month to dry out more fully before being used.

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Two doors on the other chicken coop.
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The door on the north end.
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Two doors for the goat pen (in case we need to separate them when they have babies).
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The large middle door - the widest of them all!
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Those are gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! Congratulations!

 

[gtaus]

I'm not saying YOU were in the wrong or casting doubt on what you were told.

I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, just relating what I was told.

On a personal note, I do occasionally put diluted urine in the compost although never directly on the garden itself even though I know many people do. Urine is supposed to be sterile and debatably safe for use in the garden.

Urine is not sterile. There are always some bacteria in urine before and after it leaves the body. However, I always read urine is considered safe for gardening.

Human feces, on the other hand, are not sterile or safe. There are outbreaks of e.coli and other pathogens that can be linked to sewage use. No thanks. Not worth it to risk my family or financial liability that way when there are a gazillion other forms of safe fertilizer I can use instead.

That's pretty much the way I feel about human feces, too. I have lots of ways to make chicken run compost, or pallet wood bin composting, that I don't even think about using human feces. I have three acres of land with lots of trees for leaf mold compost, grass clippings and weeds from the garden for composting. Those are safe.

I have heard that some community services take human urine and feces, treat it, and make it into safe compost. We don't have any such system where I live, that I am aware of. The nearest commercial composting plant is about 80 miles away, and I think they only use yard waste materials. I'm not opposed to taking human waste and turning it into safe compost, but I'm not going out of my way to try it with my septic system.

 

[gtaus]

I use these picture storage boxes to store my seeds. I have 2 of them. A clear one for veggies & herbs and a colored one for flowers. They work great and all me to put labels on the cartridges so I can easily separate and find things. I buy them really cheap on sale.

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Yes, I know those plastic storage boxes are very popular for seeds. Where do you get your boxes really cheap on sale? I have never seen any sold in our local stores, so I would have to order online. Is there a specific name for those boxes?

FYI, I don't have nearly enough seeds, at present, to fill up one of those organizers, which is why I am considering the small ammo box at half the size. But I see lots of "serious" gardeners who save seeds use those boxes like you have. They sure look nice, and I hear lots of good things about them. Easy to label, easy to see, stores a lot, etc...

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Yes, I know those plastic storage boxes are very popular for seeds. Where do you get your boxes really cheap on sale? I have never seen any sold in our local stores, so I would have to order online. Is there a specific name for those boxes?

FYI, I don't have nearly enough seeds, at present, to fill up one of those organizers, which is why I am considering the small ammo box at half the size. But I see lots of "serious" gardeners who save seeds use those boxes like you have. They sure look nice, and I hear lots of good things about them. Easy to label, easy to see, stores a lot, etc...

Craft store, picture storage. Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Joann Fabrics.