Vegan-organic gardening avoids not only the use of toxic sprays and chemicals, but also manures and animal remains. Just as vegans avoid animal products in the rest of our lives, we also avoid using animal products in the garden, as fertilizers such as blood and bone meal, slaughterhouse sludge, fish emulsion, and manures are sourced from industries that exploit and enslave sentient beings. As these products may carry dangerous diseases that breed in intensive animal production operations, vegan-organic gardening is also a safer, healthier way to grow our food.
Compost is any gardener’s best friend. For new veganic gardeners though, it is not only your best friend, but the building block from which your vegan garden will grow. As you build your own compost pile, bin, or tumbler, you’ll learn to love this nutrient-rich pile of possibility. The soil and humus that are created from your scraps do more than just reduce unnecessary additions to the landfill. They are also essential to revitalizing your garden and providing your household and garden plants with the nutrients they need to thrive.
If you’re concerned that some common organic practices support animal farming , then it’s time to learn about the byproducts in your fertilizers, the health risks they pose, and the alternative, green, truly organic fertilizers you’ll find in your own backyard, or on the garden store shelf.
From green manure to nettle tea , there are heaps of healthy, easy and sustainable stock-free fertilizers available to safely and effectively revitalize and nourish your garden. But before I jump into these nutrient rich concoctions, let’s first talk about the products that should be prohibited on your property and some of the reasons why.
The animal-based fertilizers below are commonly used in organic farming, and are found in many organic fertilizer mixes.
Animal Manures:
From cows, pigs, chickens, etc. This one shouldn’t shock anyone. I think we’ve all walked by a yard that had the tell- tale odor of “fresh manure-based fertilizer”. Did you know though that the manure you buy at your local gardening store may contain livestock-grade hormones and antibiotics that can be readily absorbed by the plants you are growing?
“….Minnesota researchers planted corn, green onion and cabbage in manure-treated soil in 2005 to evaluate the environmental impacts of feeding antibiotics to livestock. Six weeks later, the crops were analyzed and found to absorb chlortetracycline, a drug widely used to treat diseases in livestock…”
Feather meal:
Feather meal is made from the ground feathers of birds such as chickens raised for consumption. It is partially hydrolyzed under high heat and pressure, and then ground up. Growers use this byproduct for its high nitrogen levels, despite the fact that plants cannot easily absorb it in this form.
Other misuses: Animal feed.
Bone Meal:
Bones are stripped, dried, and ground. It is used for its high phosphorus and calcium content despite the fact that bone meal is dangerous to breathe and has been suggested as an agent for spreading Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy “mad cow disease”) to humans.
“Do you feed your roses with bone meal? Not a good idea, says the world’s foremost expert on a group of rare diseases, found in animals, that sometimes make their way into humans. Breathing in the dust from contaminated bone meal could be deadly, says Dr. D. Carleton Gajdusek (GUY-doo-sheck), a brilliant Harvard Medical School graduate and Nobel laureate. In his latest book, Deadly Feasts (Simon & Schuster), author Richard Rhodes traces the history of these diseases, called spongi-form encephalopathies, that reduce the brain to a spongy mass, causing their victims to stagger, fall, develop dementia and paralysis, and soon die a terrible death.”
– “Mad cow disease” from feeding your roses? – Medical Update September 1, 1997. Brown, Edwin W.
Bone Meal can also be a danger to your pets. If an animal consumes a large quantity of bone meal (for their size) it will form a cement-like ball in their stomach, which may block the digestive track and need to be removed by surgery.
Other misuses: Toothpastes, vitamins and supplements (calcium), animal feed
Bone Ash (bone earth):
Consisting of the ash of burned bones, it is used in much the same way as bone meal.
Other misuses: Making of ceramics, cleaning and polishing compounds.
Fish emulsion / Fish Hydrolysate:
After the human grade “edible” portions of fish are removed, the remaining fish parts, (guts, bones, cartilage, scales, meal, etc.) are ground up. This mix often has high acid based preservatives added to it to keep the contents from putrefying. The fish parts used can also contain heavy metals and toxins that the fish absorbed during its life time.
Fish emulsion:
Emulsion is fish hydrolysate that has had the oils removed and proteins denatured and simplified by heating. It is used for its nitrogen phosphorus and potassium content.
Other Misuses: Farmed animal feed, companion animal food, human consumption.
Urea (Carbamide):
If the word “urea” makes you think of urine then you’re right. It is a waste product created by digested protein filtered out by the kidneys and excreted from the body in urine. These days, urea is mostly created synthetically for commercial use by mixing ammonia and carbon dioxide, but it can still be animal derived. The same antibiotic and hormone implications of manure may also apply to animal derived urea. Some of the impurities found in synthetic urea(such as biuret) can also impair plant growth so it’s best to avoid this product all together.
Other misuses: Rock salt for de-icing, cigarettes, Nair/Veet (other hair removal agents), pretzels (yes really), skin creams, flame-proofing agents, tooth whitening products, dish soaps, dyes, animal feed and more.
Blood Meal:
Blood meal is made from dried blood that is literally scraped from the slaughterhouse floor. Even those farmers that use it admit that it is dangerous to breathe and can carry a number of harmful pathogens. Warning for animal lovers: Blood meal may attract your pets or other animals and if ingested can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Ingesting blood meal can also result in severe pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) which is bad news for your pup.
Other misuses: Animal food supplements, cheese making, foam rubber, adhesive in plywood, medicines and more.
Eggshells:
Heated and ground eggshells are often added to soil for their calcium carbonate. The risk of salmonella poisoning with properly treated shells is very low, but commercial sources of egg shells are bound to link back to high-density farms including battery hen houses.
Other misuses (for egg protein, white and yolk included): Shampoos, skin preparations, etc.
If you’re concerned that some common organic practices support animal farming , then it’s time to learn about the byproducts in your fertilizers, the health risks they pose, and the alternative, green, truly organic fertilizers you’ll find in your own backyard, or on the garden store shelf.
From green manure to nettle tea , there are heaps of healthy, easy and sustainable stock-free fertilizers available to safely and effectively revitalize and nourish your garden. But before I jump into these nutrient rich concoctions, let’s first talk about the products that should be prohibited on your property and some of the reasons why.
The animal-based fertilizers below are commonly used in organic farming, and are found in many organic fertilizer mixes.
Animal Manures:
From cows, pigs, chickens, etc. This one shouldn’t shock anyone. I think we’ve all walked by a yard that had the tell- tale odor of “fresh manure-based fertilizer”. Did you know though that the manure you buy at your local gardening store may contain livestock-grade hormones and antibiotics that can be readily absorbed by the plants you are growing?
“….Minnesota researchers planted corn, green onion and cabbage in manure-treated soil in 2005 to evaluate the environmental impacts of feeding antibiotics to livestock. Six weeks later, the crops were analyzed and found to absorb chlortetracycline, a drug widely used to treat diseases in livestock…”
Feather meal:
Feather meal is made from the ground feathers of birds such as chickens raised for consumption. It is partially hydrolyzed under high heat and pressure, and then ground up. Growers use this byproduct for its high nitrogen levels, despite the fact that plants cannot easily absorb it in this form.
Other misuses: Animal feed.
Bone Meal:
Bones are stripped, dried, and ground. It is used for its high phosphorus and calcium content despite the fact that bone meal is dangerous to breathe and has been suggested as an agent for spreading Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy “mad cow disease”) to humans.
“Do you feed your roses with bone meal? Not a good idea, says the world’s foremost expert on a group of rare diseases, found in animals, that sometimes make their way into humans. Breathing in the dust from contaminated bone meal could be deadly, says Dr. D. Carleton Gajdusek (GUY-doo-sheck), a brilliant Harvard Medical School graduate and Nobel laureate. In his latest book, Deadly Feasts (Simon & Schuster), author Richard Rhodes traces the history of these diseases, called spongi-form encephalopathies, that reduce the brain to a spongy mass, causing their victims to stagger, fall, develop dementia and paralysis, and soon die a terrible death.”
– “Mad cow disease” from feeding your roses? – Medical Update September 1, 1997. Brown, Edwin W.
Bone Meal can also be a danger to your pets. If an animal consumes a large quantity of bone meal (for their size) it will form a cement-like ball in their stomach, which may block the digestive track and need to be removed by surgery.
Other misuses: Toothpastes, vitamins and supplements (calcium), animal feed
Bone Ash (bone earth):
Consisting of the ash of burned bones, it is used in much the same way as bone meal.
Other misuses: Making of ceramics, cleaning and polishing compounds.
Fish emulsion / Fish Hydrolysate:
After the human grade “edible” portions of fish are removed, the remaining fish parts, (guts, bones, cartilage, scales, meal, etc.) are ground up. This mix often has high acid based preservatives added to it to keep the contents from putrefying. The fish parts used can also contain heavy metals and toxins that the fish absorbed during its life time.
Fish emulsion:
Emulsion is fish hydrolysate that has had the oils removed and proteins denatured and simplified by heating. It is used for its nitrogen phosphorus and potassium content.
Other Misuses: Farmed animal feed, companion animal food, human consumption.
Urea (Carbamide):
If the word “urea” makes you think of urine then you’re right. It is a waste product created by digested protein filtered out by the kidneys and excreted from the body in urine. These days, urea is mostly created synthetically for commercial use by mixing ammonia and carbon dioxide, but it can still be animal derived. The same antibiotic and hormone implications of manure may also apply to animal derived urea. Some of the impurities found in synthetic urea(such as biuret) can also impair plant growth so it’s best to avoid this product all together.
Other misuses: Rock salt for de-icing, cigarettes, Nair/Veet (other hair removal agents), pretzels (yes really), skin creams, flame-proofing agents, tooth whitening products, dish soaps, dyes, animal feed and more.
Blood Meal:
Blood meal is made from dried blood that is literally scraped from the slaughterhouse floor. Even those farmers that use it admit that it is dangerous to breathe and can carry a number of harmful pathogens. Warning for animal lovers: Blood meal may attract your pets or other animals and if ingested can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Ingesting blood meal can also result in severe pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) which is bad news for your pup.
Other misuses: Animal food supplements, cheese making, foam rubber, adhesive in plywood, medicines and more.
Eggshells:
Heated and ground eggshells are often added to soil for their calcium carbonate. The risk of salmonella poisoning with properly treated shells is very low, but commercial sources of egg shells are bound to link back to high-density farms including battery hen houses.
Other misuses (for egg protein, white and yolk included): Shampoos, skin preparations, etc.
Making a good mix of vegan organic fertilizers to meet your garden’s unique needs is easy and ecological.
Compost:
Every good gardener has a great compost pile make the most out of your kitchen/yard scraps. A good compost pile is full of wonderful nutrients, nitrogen and beneficial microorganisms to keep your garden going strong. Not only is making your own compost pile easy to do and a free way to feed your garden, it also encourages a strong worm population which is wonderful for your plants.
Vermiculture or Vermicastings (Worm Castings):
Worm castings improve the soil structure and increase fertility. They can be added to your garden without purchasing them from a store (which is potentially harmful to the worms being ‘cultivated’ for the product), by simply providing the right environment for the worms to thrive in. Re-establishing the natural worm populations in your garden is as easy as providing a cool, damp and dark environment with plenty of nutrients for them to enjoy (compost pile/hay mulch.)
Hay Mulches:
Mulching is simply covering the ground with a thick layer of organic material. Mulching will not only feed the soil as it breaks down, but will also suppress weeds and encourage worms in your garden. You can do this while plants are growing (as long as you don’t overwhelm the plants) or you can apply mulch when you’re shutting down your garden for the winter.
Compost Teas:
You can make wonderful liquid fertilizers with comfrey or nettles and other composting plants. These fertilizers are nitrogen rich, can often be created for free, and your garden will love them.
Green Manures, Nitrogen-fixing crops:
You might have to spend a small amount of money to get this crop growing, but it’s worth the reasonable investment. Fast-growing plants, such as wheat, oats, rye, vetch, or clover, can be grown as ‘green manure’ crops before your standard planting, and then tilled into the garden as you ready the beds. Green manure crops absorb and use nutrients from the soil that might otherwise be lost through leaching, then return the nutrients into the soil when they are tilled under. The root system of cover crops also helps improve the soil structure and prevent erosion. Vetch, peas, broad beans (fava beans), and crimson clover are known as nitrogen-fixing crops because they are particularly good at bringing this nutrient back into the soil when they are tilled into the bed.
Alfalfa meal, Flax Seed Meal, Cottonseed Meal and Soya Meal:
All excellent sources of nitrogen.
Epsom Salts:
An excellent source of magnesium.
Seaweed (fresh, liquid or meal):
Often used for its trace elements. Seaweed is best when harvested fresh from the sea (as opposed to washed up and sitting on beaches.) Some veganic gardeners use bulk kelp meal or spirulina instead (which are sources of potassium and trace minerals).
Every good gardener has a great compost pile make the most out of your kitchen/yard scraps. A good compost pile is full of wonderful nutrients, nitrogen and beneficial microorganisms to keep your garden going strong. Not only is making your own compost pile easy to do and a free way to feed your garden, it also encourages a strong worm population which is wonderful for your plants.
Vermiculture or Vermicastings (Worm Castings):
Worm castings improve the soil structure and increase fertility. They can be added to your garden without purchasing them from a store (which is potentially harmful to the worms being ‘cultivated’ for the product), by simply providing the right environment for the worms to thrive in. Re-establishing the natural worm populations in your garden is as easy as providing a cool, damp and dark environment with plenty of nutrients for them to enjoy (compost pile/hay mulch.)
Hay Mulches:
Mulching is simply covering the ground with a thick layer of organic material. Mulching will not only feed the soil as it breaks down, but will also suppress weeds and encourage worms in your garden. You can do this while plants are growing (as long as you don’t overwhelm the plants) or you can apply mulch when you’re shutting down your garden for the winter.
Compost Teas:
You can make wonderful liquid fertilizers with comfrey or nettles and other composting plants. These fertilizers are nitrogen rich, can often be created for free, and your garden will love them.
Green Manures, Nitrogen-fixing crops:
You might have to spend a small amount of money to get this crop growing, but it’s worth the reasonable investment. Fast-growing plants, such as wheat, oats, rye, vetch, or clover, can be grown as ‘green manure’ crops before your standard planting, and then tilled into the garden as you ready the beds. Green manure crops absorb and use nutrients from the soil that might otherwise be lost through leaching, then return the nutrients into the soil when they are tilled under. The root system of cover crops also helps improve the soil structure and prevent erosion. Vetch, peas, broad beans (fava beans), and crimson clover are known as nitrogen-fixing crops because they are particularly good at bringing this nutrient back into the soil when they are tilled into the bed.
Alfalfa meal, Flax Seed Meal, Cottonseed Meal and Soya Meal:
All excellent sources of nitrogen.
Epsom Salts:
An excellent source of magnesium.
Seaweed (fresh, liquid or meal):
Often used for its trace elements. Seaweed is best when harvested fresh from the sea (as opposed to washed up and sitting on beaches.) Some veganic gardeners use bulk kelp meal or spirulina instead (which are sources of potassium and trace minerals).
Save your Seeds... Plant some Love!