The Humanure handbook

[gardening_gal]

Really don't fancy this idea.

I could maybe see the merits many years ago before food became so tainted with chemicals, excess sugars, preservatives, E numbers and the like. What goes in comes out.

At least animal manure would be more natural.

Mind you, maybe if I found a gluten free vegan to befriend...........

[SarrissUK]

I will read the book without prejudice

[Baldy]

I may read it with extreme prejudice...

[Snoop Puss]

We have barrels of the stuff, waiting to be used. The oldest is 12 years old, and that will be going on some of our trees. Doesn't look anything like the original 'product'. Mind you, I wouldn't put it on the veg patch. Lettuce just wouldn't seem so appealing.

[veggiechicken]

Well done Snoop - you've been reading "Pride and prejudice".

[veggiechicken]

As an aside, many years ago I visited a national park that had a composting loo for public use. I asked the site manager what they did with the contents. He said that they were separated into liquids and solids and the liquid was tapped off frequently and used to make "Baby Bio".
I've never been able to open the bottle without remembering that. How true it is, I don't know but I haven't been able to find out how it is made.

[Snoop Puss]

Well done Snoop - you've been reading "Pride and prejudice".

Or Sense and Sensibility!

[Mark_Riga]

Robert Milne, in his organic vegetable growing book, recommends urine even if you don't fancy humanure. He writes that well over 50% of N,P and K consumed is excreted in urine.
Though when you think what is likely to be decaying in the garden - all those rats, mice and slugs must end up somewhere and even if their dead bodies are elsewhere, I've never seen a rat's toilet signposted.

[burnie]

My compost bin has been used as emergency loo on occasion, but standing up only lol.

[MyWifesBrassicas]

Amasing what you can find whilst trolling the net!

I've just come across this little beauty which I've downloaded to read later. As far as I can figure it's a free ebook!

weblife.org: Humanure Handbook: Contents

Downloaded this yesterday, good read, thanks for the link

[Thelma Sanders]

My compost bin has been used as emergency loo on occasion, but standing up only lol.

To be civilised I have a bucket in the shed, as being born without the physical equipment for an easy aim, I find balancing on compost heaps is never easy.......

[1Bee]

You can't wipe your butt on an eBook...

Not to mention oestrogen from the pill, GG...

Well, that's what the Night Soil was that went on the fields in the past. We're all still here!

You mean apart from the ones who died of typhoid, hepatitis, cholera, polio, entiritis, dysentery.... ;-)

It's a bug bear of mine that "this was how it happened back in the day," is either taken as meaning, "this is a universal Good Thing," or "this is a universal Bad Thing."

Context, people, context...

I'll steer clear of composting my poop, but will happily irrigate the compost heap with liquids.

SP... I am frightened of the answer, but how did it get into barrels.....?

[veggiechicken]

To be civilised I have a bucket in the shed, as being born without the physical equipment for an easy aim, I find balancing on compost heaps is never easy.......

You need a dining chair with a removeable seat squab thing that you can sit on in comfort. I did this for a while, in amongst the raspberry canes, with a bale of straw under the seat.
It worked well for a while until the old chair frame, which was never meant to be left outside in the rain, fell apart. Luckily it was not in use at the time.

[Snoop Puss]

SP... I am frightened of the answer, but how did it get into barrels.....?

You really want to know...? Read on if you're not squeamish.

It is deposited from source into a bucket. Each deposit is then covered in ash. Hay is good too. Once the bucket is full, it gets left for a couple of months. Then it is transferred into large barrels and left to break down gradually. No pathogens after a while (as per Humanure book).

Nobody is going to believe this bit: there is no smell once covered in ash.

[veggiechicken]

I agree there's no smell, Snoop, as I've been too similar places.
TBH I prefer the smell of "poo" to public toilet disinfectant. Yuk.