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Location

Message

Date Posted

Sacramento, CA

We live inside the city so lack the space and sun for a giant pumpkin, but are going to make a run at it this season anyway. My goal...biggest pumpkin in Midtown Sacramento! I'm in the vertical newbie learning curve but have a question I haven't seen anywhere...cat poo. We have a couple cats that have adopted our backyard, and keep the rodents off our fruit trees, and I'm sure deposit their gifts in the planting bed. Should I look at this as fertilizer, or a bad-microbe environment?

3/5/2017 5:04:40 PM

Hanson Ma

As far As I know cat poo is not considered good fertilizer because they supposedly carry bad bacteria. That being said I have 3 cats that love to poo in the nice soft soil that just got tilled. I really don't think it hurts anything. If it was 100 cats using it as litter box I'd be worried. and I don't have much of a rodent problem except ground hogs. To big for the cats to handle.

3/5/2017 5:10:52 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

unless you have a total litter box of a garden I would not worry about it. I like the occasional side of the neighbor hood cat in the patch. Eating the mice and chipmunks

3/6/2017 7:38:11 AM

Central Illinois

I think the rule is to not use poop from animals that would normally eat meat.

3/6/2017 8:53:41 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

Don't let city growing deter you. How many sq feet do you have available for the pumpkin? I know the growers of the 150 sq ft challenge are getting decent weights (700-800+ pounds) The bigger your patch the easier it will be, but i know of some really big weights coming from 200-250 sq ft.

3/6/2017 7:46:18 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Cat poo should be beneficial unless you are eating the fruit. I believe that getting worms is the concern with edible plants. Otherwise it is still poo and the cycle of life goes round and round. If your pumpkin is for show it shouldn't matter.

3/9/2017 7:08:06 PM

Sacramento, CA

Thanks everyone! Ok, I'm not freaked about the cats although I'm going to try limiting their poos in the patch. How big a patch do I have? About 6'x16' so not quite 100sf but it can spooge over the sides. No rooting but it can get light. If I got close to 500 pounds this year I'd be in heaven. I know how this goes...next year I'll want more ;-) Thanks again all!

3/11/2017 7:06:05 PM