[Sca-cooks] A Period Gardening Technique?

H Westerlund-Davis yaini0625 at yahoo.com
Wed Jan 5 10:33:44 PST 2011


In the Modern Homesteading, Sustainable Farming and Biodynamic farming there is 
a great deal of discussion regarding human waste being used as compost material. 
The method they are using is documented in an older gardening books but the 
usefulness is still debatable. Realistically, all the urine is doing is breaking 
down the hay bale faster then it would normally have done.  It was known that 
human waste from pit privys were used around trees and fruit trees. However, in 
modern times it is not recommended. What I have found consistently in the 
historical farming books I have been reading is the use of farm animals as 
fertilizers and soil enrichment. It takes *a lot* of human waste to cover an 
acre of land. 

 In the Modern Homesteading movement, Sustainable Farming and Biodymanic farming 
the use of human waste for composting is discouraged or limited to non food 
related crops. There is a concern of e-coli contamination amongst other 
concerns. 

It has to be used and handled carefully since human waste is considered too 
"hot" and must be broken down over a six month time period before using on non 
food related crops. I have also read that it can take up to a year to compost 
correctly, depending on the method. There is a chemical/enzyme reason why cow, 
donkey, horse and goat animals manure is used for fertilizers over human and 
carnivores. 

 The compost toilets that some people use have enzymes that help break down the 
waste. A friend of mine who has the compost toilets uses the "compost" for her 
roses and wild flowers. There are also other versions of compost toilets that 
use heat and time, but take longer.
In Biodynamic farming female cow horns are packed with manure and put in the 
grown for six to seven months. The result is a rich "tea" that can be sprayed on 
the fields. 

There have also been some experiments with composting with human hair. From 
experience, it takes about a year to compost it down. My chickens are faster.
My family and I have a working modern homestead with a goal of being more 
sustainable. I am currently researching and about to start bidynamic farming 
certification. It has been fun to compare this current movement to our living 
history. This summer I did a lot research on composting. Composting techniques 
vary from region to region and techniques and temperatures also are subject to 
region and purpose. What works in Georgia doesn't always work in San Diego. 


For your amusement and consideration:
http://www.barnstablecountyhealth.org/AlternativeWebpage/Composting/Composting.htm

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/234/1/Composting-human-waste.html

 
Bless Bless
Aelina the Saami



 

 
Duct Tape is like the Force: It has a light side & a dark side
and it holds the universe together.




________________________________
From: Elise Fleming <alysk at ix.netcom.com>
To: sca-cooks <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>; "sca-middle at midrealm.org" 
<sca-middle at midrealm.org>
Sent: Wed, January 5, 2011 9:36:07 AM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] A Period Gardening Technique?

Greetings!  In a discussion of old gardening practices, this article came up on 
another list.  Wonder how it would work for Pennsic and helping the Coopers 
raise some crops??

*http://tinyurl.com/26nwgc4

*Alys K.
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