Safety of a vegetable garden near a buried pet

Watch Reply
More
Mark unread Print Skip to new
Aulora Forney, TX Jun 17, 2013

I am planting a vegetable garden for my mother. She has a buried pet in the back of the yard. How far away from the pets remains is safe to put in a vegetable garden and not be worried about eating them?

Post #9561791
Quote
flsusie New Port Richey, FL Jun 17, 2013

Sorry about your Mom's pet. My parents and grandparents always buried the remains of fish, slaughtered hogs, chickens, rabbits and deer in the garden. Depending on deep it was buried I probably wouldn't dig directly above it for a few months.

Post #9561838
Quote
HoneybeeNC Charlotte, NC(Zone 7b) Jun 17, 2013

I agree with flsusie. My parents and grandparents did the same thing.

Post #9561995
Quote
SwallowFeather Tiskilwa, IL Jun 18, 2013

You really should be fine, most likely. Do you mean it was buried recently? If it's been there a year it will make no difference at all.

The only problem you could have is coming into actual contact with the body by digging too deep. (Why flsusie says to maybe not dig directly over it depending how deep down it is. If it's six feet under, no problem.) You could just plant something spreading (cukes or melons or something) beside it and let that spread over its area, if you want to avoid digging there. Vegetables grown over it will be extra fertilized & can't pass germs on to you through their root contact with anything down there (totally unlike issues with chemicals in the soil or whatever, which plants can pass on). The only way germs could get passed on to you would be direct contact with something you were going to eat (eg it gets turned up somehow & some of it gets on the tomatoes or whatever.) Not very likely to happen at all and anyway you'd notice if it did!

Post #9564419
Quote

Post a Reply to this Thread

Please or sign up to post.
Back to Forum Homepage

More Beginner Gardening Threads

Go to all Beginner Gardening threads
BACK TO TOP