| Now that winter is over and the snow has melted we are attempting to get our yard back in order. We have two dogs and now we have the task of getting up all the poop that has accumulated in our yard. My biggest concern is that this past winter I found out that they managed to get into my garden bed (raised)and leave little presents. Completely grossed out by this I figured I would just remove poop and remove the first few inches of dirt and replace it with new dirt. My 3 questions are: Is it a bad idea that my veggie garden, though raised, essentially shares the same soil with the rest of my yard that the dogs use? Is my veggie garden now ruined by the poop being in there all winter? Is there anything I do to correct/salvage my veggie garden? |
| Dog poop is never a good idea in a veggie garden, from an aesthetic point of view. By removing the majority of it (along with some soil) I think you've done enough to keep your plants from being contaminated. Just to be on the safe side, I'd plant above-ground veggies in the garden and plant the carrots, potatoes, turnips, etc. in a different spot. The general recommendation is to keep feces from meat eating animals out of veggie gardens - this caution is normally for pigs, not cows, because we do recommend using aged cow manure as a soil amendment. If your dogs only eat dry dog food, table scraps and cooked meat, you have nothing to worry about. If they eat raw meat, there may be harmful bacteria in the soil. Best wishes with your garden! |
