Get It Growing: Ask a Master Gardener — Protecting homegrown fruits, vegetables from harmful bacteria

Published 4:30 am Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Q: We’ve been reading about the outbreak of diarrhea associated with head lettuce from Mexico. How can we avoid this disease when growing lettuce in our home garden?

A: The nation is currently experiencing a multi-state outbreak of cyclosporiasis — a gastrointestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora. The outbreak has been linked to head lettuce from a particular producer in central Mexico. According to an update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (dated July 24), 1, 947 lab-confirmed cases associated with this outbreak have been reported since May 1. The source has initiated a recall of the lettuce.

So far, no cases have resulted from eating the implicated lettuce in Washington State. Cases reported among Washington residents resulted from exposures that occurred while traveling internationally or to another state.

Food safety in home gardens

Each year outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness are linked to fruits and vegetables contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Produce can become contaminated during cultivation, harvest, processing, transport, storage, and preparation. Sources of contamination include animals, soil, water, contaminated equipment, and improper handling by humans.

Make sure produce from your garden is safe to eat by following these steps:

Select a safe site for your vegetable garden. Locate vegetable gardens away from manure piles, garbage cans, septic systems, and areas where wildlife, farm animals, or pets roam.

During the gardening season, keep animals out of the garden with fencing or noise deterrents.

Remove weeds at the edges of your garden, which serve as hiding places for rodents. Do not feed wild animals, even birds, near your garden.

Do not introduce contaminants while tending your vegetable garden. Use only potable (drinkable) water in your garden.

If your water source is a well, conduct a water test at least once a year to determine if your water meets Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. The Clallam County Drinking Water Laboratory offers water testing to local residents. Call 360-417-2258 for more information.

Because many animals can carry microorganisms that make humans sick, avoid using non-composted manures directly in your garden. Turn your compost pile frequently and manage it in a way that assures that all materials reach temperatures of 131 degrees or higher for prolonged periods to kill germs that can make humans ill.

If you are applying well-composted manure in the spring before planting, wait at least 60 days after the application of the manure before harvesting any vegetables that will be eaten raw.

Use care in harvesting fruits and vegetables. Wash your hands before handling produce and use clean tools and gloves.

Handle produce carefully to avoid bruising and damaging it as these spots allow harmful microorganisms to contaminate the produce and multiply.

Shake, rub, or brush off any garden dirt with a paper towel or soft brush while still outside.

Store fruits and vegetables in a way that prevents growth of bacteria and cross contamination. It is not recommended that you wash produce before storing it because the moisture encourages the growth of spoilage bacteria. If you choose to wash produce before storage, dry it thoroughly with a clean cloth or paper towel or let it air-dry before storing.

Put harvested fruits and vegetables in clean and sanitized food-grade containers. Store perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (like strawberries and lettuce) in a refrigerator at 40 degrees or below.

Other produce such as uncut tomatoes, potatoes, and onions are best stored at cool room temperature.

Keep fruits and vegetables that will be eaten raw separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

Wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them, especially if serving them raw. Thoroughly rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before preparing and serving them.

Do not soak produce because one contaminated piece in a sink or container of water could contaminate all the others.

Do not wash produce with soap or detergent. These products can get trapped in pores on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables and become difficult to rinse off. You could ingest these residues and become ill.

When possible, scrub fruits and vegetables with a clean scrub brush or your hands, including produce with skins and rinds that may not be eaten such as potatoes or cantaloupe.

Wash delicate berries with a kitchen sink sprayer. Use a colander so you can turn the fruit as you spray.

Remove and discard outer green leaves from items like lettuce and cauliflower before washing. Trim the hull or stem from items like tomatoes, strawberries, and peppers after washing.

No washing method completely removes or kills all microbes that may be present. But rinsing produce with running water significantly reduces the number of microorganisms present and the risk of illness.

To learn more about preventing foodborne diseases in your garden go to Washington State University’s “Gardening and Food Safety — Good Agricultural Practices at Home” at news.cahnrs.wsu.edu/podcasts-category/gardening-and-food-safety-good-agricultural-practices-at-home/.

Woodcock Walkabout

The next Woodcock Walkabout at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden, 2711 Woodcock Road in Sequim, will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, and will focus on the vegetable gardens there. Dress for the weather and for walking to join Master Gardeners for a tour.

Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions and offer advice at the Fifth Street Community Garden, 328 E. Fifth Street, Port Angeles, on Saturday, Aug. 8, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Bring photos and plant samples in sealable bags.

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Jeanette Stehr-Green is a WSU-certified Clallam County Master Gardener and retired physician and infectious disease epidemiologist.