Pig Manure for Compost: Safe Composting Methods for Garden Use

Old-time farmers dug pig manure into fall soil for spring crops. Today's challenge: many pigs carry E. coli, salmonella, parasitic worms. Solution: composting! Here's how to compost pig manure safely.

Can You Use Pig Manure for Gardens?

Absolutely—compost it. Add to pile, let rot long and hot enough. Heat kills dangerous organisms.

Compost ("black gold") aerates soil, retains moisture, adds nutrients—created from household/yard waste.

Pig Manure for Compost

Key: high heat, frequent turning. Build pile with good mix (dried grass, dead leaves, kitchen scraps, pulled weeds). Mix in pig manure, add garden soil. Keep moist, not wet.

Compost needs air—turn with shovel/pitchfork/rake, bringing bottom up. Turn monthly minimum; let work 4+ months before use.

Best timing: build fresh heap in fall during garden cleanup. Turn every 3-4 weeks until snow, then tarp and cook all winter. Spring yields rich compost for soil amendment.