Hello all,
I was wondering if and how many of you have any experience with
humanure.

Thanks,
Gello

In article .net,
"Gello" wrote:

Hello all,
I was wondering if and how many of you have any experience with
humanure.

Used extensively in Asia "night soil". Precuation is that all produce
has to be extensively cooked or risk dysentery and other fun stuff.

Yes, I have heard of the use of "night soil" not only in Asia but, also,
before the widespread use of chemical fertilizers in the US and Europe. Do
you have any sources, that you can recall, that refer to it?

Thank you,
Gello

"Not the Karl Orff" wrote in message
...
In article .net,
"Gello" wrote:

Hello all,
I was wondering if and how many of you have any experience with
humanure.

Used extensively in Asia "night soil". Precuation is that all produce
has to be extensively cooked or risk dysentery and other fun stuff.

"Gello" wrote in message
link.net...
Hello all,
I was wondering if and how many of you have any experience with
humanure.


Just a few minutes ago, I flushed some into the septic tank :-)

Seriously, though, the stuff will work. The problem is that human du-du
often has human pathogens. Using the waste from a bunch of people for
food crops is a really good way to 'spread the wealth' -- when one
person gets sick, everyone else is at risk.

Remember, the grass is always greener over the septic tank :-)


Ray

"Gello" wrote in message
link.net...
Hello all,
I was wondering if and how many of you have any experience with
humanure.

Thanks,
Gello



Feces contain plenty of pathogens even in healthy people so applying it to
your soil is a definite health risk - not to mention that it will annoy the
neighbours and they can call down the law on you. Urine OTOH is a rich
source of nitrogen, much less offensive and it is sterile in healthy people.

David

Feces contain plenty of pathogens even in healthy people so applying it to
your soil is a definite health risk -

Even if it is composted and aged for several years?

not to mention that it will annoy the
neighbours and they can call down the law on you.

My closest neighbor is a mile away. Don't think they will mind if I walk
out in my "lawn" and deficate in the middle of it.

Please look at the book "The Humanure Handbook" for a good explimation of
what I am asking about. My original post didn't explain it, sorry. Thank
you.

Gello


Urine OTOH is a rich
source of nitrogen, much less offensive and it is sterile in healthy
people.

David

On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 12:15:59 GMT in
.net, "Gello"
graced the world with this
thought:

Even if it is composted and aged for several years?

a couple years? Why are you bothering?

No offense, but I'm curious what spawned the need to use human feces
for fertilizer when there are so many better options available other
than human, that you plan on waiting years to use?

At one point it was supposed to be used on our city parks (Albuquerque,
NM) after it had been treated etc. I don't know if its still being used
or not, or if it ever really did hit the grass but when this was first
made public maybe 10 years ago it was touted as being an excellent
fertilizer.

Gello wrote:

Hello all,
I was wondering if and how many of you have any experience with
humanure.

Thanks,
Gello

g'day gello,

we have a composting toilet so when the end product has been composted
in the cycle of using the bin we add it to our gardens under a layer
of medium the plant roots only access it, not looking to any problems
as it has been sitting for over 7 months composting with the help of
worms. big diffeence between using raw sewage and composted poo, looks
just like any humus material you might create from most other
recyclable material no smell and no resemblence to its original form.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

"Gello" wrote in message hlink.net...
Feces contain plenty of pathogens even in healthy people so applying it to
your soil is a definite health risk -

Even if it is composted and aged for several years?

I suppose it would be more prudent to use it on, say, tomatoes than,
say, carrots. I know dozens of people who compost, but no one waits
several years to use the compost. If one were to start using the
stuff, who is to say that after a while corners will not be cut. I am
the first to admit that total cleanliness is impossible, mice and
birds will visit the garden or compost pile and leave droppings there.
One gives himself a lot of breathing room by using semifresh manure
(all kinds) in places where there is no contact between crop and soil.
As luck may have it, most underground crops, except potatoes which
need cooking anyway, do prefer soil that was manured the year before.
Garlic, beet, carrots, parsnips, radish, all prefer mellower soil
and/or relatively low need for nutrients.


not to mention that it will annoy the
neighbours and they can call down the law on you.

My closest neighbor is a mile away. Don't think they will mind if I walk
out in my "lawn" and deficate in the middle of it.

Just so long as you don't do it the day before your buddies come for a
little football pickup game on the lawn.


Please look at the book "The Humanure Handbook" for a good explimation of
what I am asking about. My original post didn't explain it, sorry. Thank
you.

Gello


Urine OTOH is a rich
source of nitrogen, much less offensive and it is sterile in healthy
people.

David

In article ,
says...
we have a composting toilet so when the end product has been composted
in the cycle of using the bin we add it to our gardens under a layer
of medium the plant roots only access it, not looking to any problems

I was wondering about that. Thre are a lot of composting
toilets out in the boonies and I couldn't think that folks were
wasting the composted output. Thanks.

Do any of your neighbors have the same setup?

--
Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs?

"Gello" wrote in message
link.net...
Feces contain plenty of pathogens even in healthy people so applying it
to
your soil is a definite health risk -

Even if it is composted and aged for several years?

....snip...

Gello



It's the composting step that is hazardous and smelly, unless you do it in a
closed container, in which case you have just invented a form of sewerage
works.

There are many such alternatives on the domestic scale these days. Have you
looked at composting toilets? Here (Australia) such things are available
commercially, as are the plans, and they may be acceptable to your local
authorities. We are on 50 acres and the neigbours are a long way off so we
looked into these but decided that this method wasn't for us because:
- you have to add plant material, eg sawdust after each deposit as the doins
are not balanced enough to get the right bacteria going alone
- there is inevitably some smell
- you have to empty it out manually to use the results on the garden and
even if the bulk of material is well composted you will need a strong
stomach for this.

We settled on an aerated waste treatment system that puts most of the
nutrients into the soil after it is rendered harmless.

David

g'day gello,

not something i can answer in one line, but i sort of generated to
that way of thinking, or it could ahve been evolved. my health failed
badly on me i lost my career and the indipendence that gives, so
started looking ro reason and ended up at permaculture. this led me to
look at how we treat mother earth and her finite resources so when the
opportunity came i took the step.

if i had stayed in the 'burbs i would have still installed a drop
toilet (illigaly of course) just would be boasting about it to all and
sundry.

the way i see it sewerage still pollutes our waterways, and septic
pollutes the aquafa, and all should wonder at the wisdom that society
has developed that leads us to dump our cast off to a local authority
you know slam the lid, don't look at it lest it infest us, and push a
button to use valuable drinking water to flush it on its way. can't
imagine at the further wisdom of people moving to rural and using even
less available water resources to flush to a septic tanks and then to
a leach field!!??

then all i needed to do was research the different makes of toilets
and opted for the one that is the simplest in design, no moving parts
well apart from the lid hinge that is.

that's about it in a nut shell gello, but will gladly answer any
questions you may have feel free to e/mail me if you wish.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

g'day larry,

usually if someone installs a composting toilet they already have a
use for the end product, in my case i couldn't wait to get me hands
onto it, the end product that is, and get it working in the soil.

none of my near neighbours have one, you need to remember that society
has moulded our thinking from the more organic simple ways of the past
to a more so called sofisticated way, you may say. so when they move
to rural where water is a more valuable resource because you have to
create your own water supply no reticulated systems out here, and then
supply power to a pump to flush a loo that resembles the sewerage
loos' of the cities, silly realy isn't it? and then to top it off they
then go and buy soil improvers to add the their gardens mmm wonder
sometimes.

there are many people using systems but not near me.

you need to remember how we live has been influenced by other sources,
and to make sure we adhere they feed in hype and the fear of the
unknown, which then gives those who don't want to look at or deal with
the issue something to hide behind.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

"Gello" wrote in message hlink.net...
Hello all,
I was wondering if and how many of you have any experience with
humanure.

Thanks,
Gello


You can buy Milorganite which is processed sewage sludge. Probably
better for ornamentals because it might contain heavy metals and other
poisons people toss in the sewer.

Easiest way to use poop is the move your outhouse around regularly.
Each time you move it and fill in the pit with topsoil, you have a
pretty good patch for growing anything.