Dried Blood Doesn't Have To Be Scary

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Let's see…a lopper, a scythe, a shovel, dried blood… a gardener's shed can look like a scene from scary movie; full of tools and toxins that have also figured prominently in murder trials over the centuries: arsenic used as an insecticide, heavy metals to control fungi. And dried blood, also called 'blood meal,' is full of nitrogen, so it's long been known as a quick way to green up plants during the growing season. But like any fertilizer, more is not better and you can easily burn a plant by applying too much.

A by-product of meat processing, dried blood makes good use of what might otherwise go to waste, and it's organic - although vegans or vegetarians might not want to use it or eat food grown with it.

It's also a way to deter garden pests such as deer and rabbits - the smell of the blood is said to make them steer clear. But other critters can find it attractive, so watch where you put it if you have doggies who like to lick icky things, or love to roll around in stinky stuff like…dried blood.