John Curtin of Spade Work : From Plot to Plate fame wrote a post recently asking readers the question Bagged Compost or Farmers’ Manure?. Choosing between sterile crap and organic crap!

It’s actually a question that I thought would have had much more heated debate as gardeners jostled to have their opinions heard. Nevertheless, it did uncover some great thoughts and topics for further discussion.

Patrick from Bifurcated Carrots made a poignant claim that manure can carry the E. coli virus. So true in fact that it is quite possibly the reason for the recent outbreak in spinach which killed 3 people and made hundreds sick.

Now, no gardener wants to unwittingly introduce a deadly pathogen into their vegetable patch so it would seem that sales of bagged compost are set to skyrocket. Gardeners just won’t take the risk.

But, if gardeners and agriculturalists have been using the stuff for centuries, even millennia, and bagged compost uses it as a main ingredient, why would you steer clear of it? My take on buying bagged compost is the same as buying a pre-packaged pizza over making one yourself. The homemade variety wins every time.

I would much prefer to use farm manure any day. So how do you eliminate the risk of carrying bacteria?

Steven from Dirt Sun Rain [link removed] stated that he would much prefer using manure – typical organic gardener! – and mentioned that it needed to be composted before using it. What does this require and how do you know you’ve composted it enough to be rid of any unwanted nasties?

Heat and time are the keys. The Organic Trade Association gave these clues on knowing how to compost your manure;

Compost should be maintained at temperatures of 55-60 degrees C (130 -149 degrees F) for a period of several days–if possible up to two weeks [emphasis added] (Droffner, et al, 1995). Composting reduces pathogens in several different ways. One way is by generating temperatures unfavorable to the undesirable organisms. Temperature increases during composting are the result of microbial metabolism. The temperatures generated have the benefit of reducing populations of many pathogenic organisms.”

Obviously once the manure has been composted; the heap needs to cool down before applying it to your garden. But once this process has been completed you can feel safe in the knowledge that the only thing you’re introducing into your garden is safe and helpful for you and your plants.

What do you prefer? Are you willing to buy bagged compost or would you rather source some animal manures? Are you prepared to put in a little effort and do you think the effort is worth it?