My Garden

Is my soil healthy?

Last post 08-11-2008 10:02 AM by Warren. 15 replies.

• 06/11/2008 04:32 PM
  Warren Location: North London Joined on: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 20	Reply | Contact Hi, this is my first time on the forum. I'm a real amateur and have a question about soil health. Am i right to be concerned about the safety of growing vegetables in my back garden in terms of pollutants and metals in the soil. Is there a test that can be done and is it neccessary to do one before growing? Many thanks, Warren

• 06/11/2008 05:32 PM

  In reply to

  mini stroni Location: Joined on: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 93

  Reply | Contact hello warren - don't know much about tests for metals and pollutants but how are the plants in you garden? do they grow well and are they looking healthy? unless you live underneath a motorway flyover or near a toxic waste dump, you should be ok to grow veggies. if you're worried, try growing things in pots or a raised bed so the roots of things don't go too far into the original soil. maybe boggy or one of the other 'ologists' around here will help further with the chemistry stuff. :)

• 06/11/2008 06:01 PM	In reply to
  Digger Location: Northern UK Joined on: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 4,743	Reply | Contact The RHS offer a soil analysis service but it doesn't cover pollutants, I wouldn't expect anyone to be too concerned without good reason though? digger

• 06/11/2008 06:06 PM	In reply to
  Warren Location: North London Joined on: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 20	Reply | Contact Hi, thank you for your response. Other plants are fine and all seems very healthy. I just thought that if there was anything strange in the soil that it may somehow be absorbed into the veggies, but maybe i'm being a bit over cautious. I might give the raised bed a go. Thanks again.

• 06/11/2008 07:17 PM	In reply to
  Phot's-Moll Location: The sunny South coast. Joined on: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 3,347	Reply | Contact If there is anything dodgy in the soil, then it might be absorbed into your veggies ... but if your plants are growing well and this is a normal garden (as opposed to the toxic waste dump already mentioned) then it's very unlikely that the soil is poisoned.Do any of your neighbours grow veg?  Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.

• 06/11/2008 07:32 PM	In reply to
  Digger Location: Northern UK Joined on: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 4,743	Reply | Contact Good question Phot's, check the neighbours gardens, perhaps houses built of former industrial sites called "brownfield" sites, it may be worth checking what was on the land prior to the house, but don't go back too far into the local history books, you may find something out that you wish you hadn't digger

• 06/11/2008 07:48 PM	In reply to
  Warren Location: North London Joined on: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 20	Reply | Contact The neighbours don't seem to grow much at all. It's a pretty standard small garden at the back of a victorian conversion so nothing dodgy that i know of. I'll check with the council about the Brownfield sites in the area. Thank you.

• 06/11/2008 10:11 PM	In reply to
  mini stroni Location: Joined on: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 93	Reply | Contact the worst that could happen is if you're living on top of an old mass grave for plague victims! don't fancy tucking in to roast taties flavoured with essence of black death!

• 06/11/2008 10:42 PM	In reply to
  Digger Location: Northern UK Joined on: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 4,743	Reply | Contact Hmmmm, you soon get used to it digger

• 07/11/2008 08:48 AM	In reply to
  Phot's-Moll Location: The sunny South coast. Joined on: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 3,347	Reply | Contact Saves on pepper ... Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.

• 07/11/2008 02:28 PM	In reply to
  Susiq Location: Northumberland Joined on: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 1,104	Reply | Contact absolutley! I actually used to live on Blackheath in London! (alledgedly the burial site for London plague victims)

• 07/11/2008 05:13 PM	In reply to
  Phot's-Moll Location: The sunny South coast. Joined on: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 3,347	Reply | Contact  Where'd Warren go? Did we scare him off or has he gone out for veg seeds? Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.

• 07/11/2008 06:43 PM	In reply to
  David 29971 Location: Sevenoaks, Kent Joined on: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 19	Reply | Contact  He is like most sensible people !

• 07/11/2008 10:15 PM

  In reply to

  bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 2,043

  Reply | Contact This is tricky - you cannot be sure that heavy metals are not present from burning treated timber (chromium, copper and arsenic were once used as wood preservatives) or old batteries or paint (lead) and in some districts industrial and mining spoil (arsenic, cadnium). You could ask your local environmental health officer for help or test the soil yourself:  Forest research charge just £15 for a heavy metal test - http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-79MDEX Thre are loads of other labs that can be found by Google. Be aware that any test is only as good as the sample taken and tested, so you should take advice from the analysis lab in the first instance.   Boggy       Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

• 07/11/2008 10:57 PM	In reply to
  Phot's-Moll Location: The sunny South coast. Joined on: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 3,347	Reply | Contact He is like most sensible people ! Ah! He's getting his seeds by mail order - good plan.   Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.