Fresh Manure and Long-Term Root Crops

I made a garden bed (Raised Garden Bed/Hugel Between Fruit Trees) back in December and January, with lasagna-like layers of branches, leaves, fresh horse manure, fresh poopy duck bedding and random other amendments. I finished applying the manure by January 16th, then covered it with leaves and about 3 inches of organic topsoil.

March 24th (two months later), I planted some evergreen bunching onions in that mound.

I know one is supposed to wait 3-4 months before planting root crops in manure due to ecoli risk, but I didn't want to let the weeds take over and forgot about the ecoli risk.

My question is, will the ecoli always live in the onions? As they bunch and divide over the years, will I never be able to eat them? Or, will there be a point that I can eat those onions? How long would I need to wait?

Thank you!

I've never worried about fresh manure in my garden, and so far we've never gotten sick. I figure by the time the roots are ready for harvest, any bad germs will have been outcompeted by the good guys. But I would not be so complacent if there were any people in the household with weakened immune systems or delicate guts. In that case I would make sure anything put on the food garden is well composted.

And no, e coli can't live in an onion, onions are anti-bacterial.

Tyler Ludens wrote:I've never worried about fresh manure in my garden, and so far we've never gotten sick. I figure by the time the roots are ready for harvest, any bad germs will have been outcompeted by the good guys. But I would not be so complacent if there were any people in the household with weakened immune systems or delicate guts. In that case I would make sure anything put on the food garden is well composted.

And no, e coli can't live in an onion, onions are anti-bacterial.

This is great to know! Thank you! (Somehow I never got an email notification of this reply and just saw it now when I checked the thread). I'll avoid the potatoes that sprouted and the radishes, especially as I have a toddler and I'm 11 weeks pregnant (that being the reason I'm so rarely on here these days!).

I'm rather smacking my forehead about the green onions. I totally should have thought of that. Thank you!

The main concern about e.coli is that it might be on (not in) fresh produce, so another way to avoid worry of that sort is to cook everything before eating.