Q.cat in vegetable garden
A neighbor’s cat has found one end of our raised vegetable garden bed to be his favorite place to potty. I planted only flowers in this area this season but would like to be able to plant veggies again next summer. How long do I need to wait to plant vegetables in that spot? I did remove all the cat poop I could find as soon as I saw it. I am afraid of the vegetables not being safe to eat if planted where the cat has left his trace. What can I do to prevent it from happening again?
To be on the safe side, it takes about a year for any pathogens that might have been in the cat feces to die off. Therefore, I would wait at least that long before turning it into a garden area, other than flowers. When you do get ready for planting, you may also want to consider solarizing the beds to kill off any possible pests/bacteria that may still be lurking about. This article will help with that: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/projects/how-to-solarize-garden-beds-to-eliminate-garden-pests-in-the-soil.htm
To help with future cat issues in the garden, here is an article that you may find helpful: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/cat-repellent.htm
