Q.Dog Feces in Vegetable Garden
My German shepherd has been using most of my backyard for the past 2 years as his bathroom (urine and feces). Will I ever be able to convert any of those areas into a vegetable garden or is the soil permanently contaminated?
Yes, it is possible to plant there once you can ensure that the dog is no longer using the area as a bathroom. About 95% of the time, manure from animals, like dogs, will not cause harm - but you shouldn't use it in the garden because of that other 5%. To be on the safe side, it takes about a year for any pathogens that might have been in the dog feces to die off. Therefore, I would wait at least that long before turning it into a garden area. 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
