How long does it take to push up daisies? Literally. How long does it take a dead body to be broken down into?

soil nutrients which can be absorbed by plants...? Assume a primitive society without modern (or ancient) embalming techniques, or sealed caskets.



For example, in places where ancient battles were fought, and the dead armies were plowed under, how well will the grain grow afterward?



Some people tell me it will grow and be human-nutritive.



Others insist that crops will fail to grow or contain harmful chemicals or organisms due to the nature of the fertilizer.



Still others assume I actually have a dead body to practice on and threaten to sic CSI on me.



(Did it ever occur to you that if I had a dead body, I would not need to ask....? That I might refrain from asking, for fear of arousing suspicion...?)



Serious answers only, please. Thanks to all who answer.

How long does it take to push up daisies? Literally. How long does it take a dead body to be broken down into?
In soft, moist ground with plenty of available worms, all of the flesh will be digested within weeks. The bones will last for years to decades. The teeth will last centuries and more. In most soils, the benefits of the nutrients will exceed the harm from some chemicals. Dead fish make an excellent fertilizer.
Reply:Temperature is a factor (as was mentioned above). Also in places where it is extremely dry such as the desert, bodies are preserved indefinitely. The opposite case is a warm, moist swamp, where decomposition is rapid.



You realize that the CSI guys always check your computer hard drive and even get records from your ISP. So if anyone ever disappears from your neighborhood, you are now screwed.
Reply:CSI, eh? That's nothing, when that nosy kid neighbor of mine found Amelia Earheart pickled in a giant tank in my attic, they nearly had the FBI on my case! Just kidding, seriously. Anyway, I read up on it about a year ago for the heck of it. In an ideal situation, it would simply decompose into nutrient-rich soil and would probably take a couple of months for all of the flesh to completely break down.
Reply:Depends on temperature.

If it isnt frozen the reaction proceeds.



Grain is a bit shallow rooted if the body is buried.

Recycling dead bodies requires care as the breakdown products of a dead body are especially toxic to the same species. Look up cadaverum.
Reply:The BIBLE states dust thou art and dust thou shalt return...sooner/later. Clay was the material of choice.