Yes, you read that right. As it turns out, our poop can provide a fertile environment for fresh produce: The internet is riddled with tales of tomatoes sprouting in and around wastewater treatment plants. Take, for example, reports from facilities in Germany, Canada and Northern Ireland. Watermelon can also crop up among our excrement, according to Kim Furry, wastewater treatment plant manager for the city of Lima, Ohio.
That’s because certain seeds, particularly those from tomatoes, are difficult for us to digest. This means they catch a ride in our feces to nearby sewage facilities. There, that waste is separated into liquids and solids to kick off the treatment process — and sometimes sprouts some unexpected fruit.
