New garden site troubles

KimE · #1 04/28/09, 12:57 PM

Okay. This weekend we plowed up my new garden site and saw that a previous owner must have poured oil and/or had several burn piles in that area ( he ran a large equipment repair). I'm thinking we can scoop the top layers off and put in new top soil, but will that be enough? Or should I just scrap the entire area. I really don't want to as its the perfect place for a garden and we also bought lots of asparagus and strawberries to plant, blueberries, grapes, 14 fruit trees, rasberries... and need the room that area has.

Just ran out to the garden area to double check; its about 40 by 100 and there are three large "dark" areas that you can tell are oil/soot. WOuld it be enough to clean just those areas out and if so how deep? I'm also worried about that getting into my food but our yard really doesn't have another good spot to put in a garden because of buildings/fence/septic/water lines...there was grass growing over the problem areas if that makes a difference.

amwitched · #2 04/28/09, 01:19 PM

Is there some place nearby that you could send a sample of the soil to? This will tell you exactly what was dumped there. Was grass/weeds growing before you tilled it up? If so, then the soil is not "dead". If not, then your plants or seeds will not grow there either. If you build raised beds, then you would have to make sure they are really deep, so the roots won't get down into the contaminated soil.

If you dig it out and replace it with good clean topsoil, apply some soil activator (medinaag.com) on the soil. This feeds the existing microbes in the soil and will help to clean it up over time.

vegfarmer · #3 04/28/09, 04:31 PM

I wont say it will work but things I have read say put a lot of compost on it. The microbes in the compost should help in eating up the pollutants. Also a soil activator such as Medina Soil Activator should be helpful. I wuold probably spray the soil activator on then put on at least a couple of inches of compost then try to arate the soil without totally mixing the compost and soil. Try a garden fork pushed into the soil and then pull back on the fork but not all the way out of the soil. Repeat every 4 to 6 inches. This will go a lost faster then it sounds. After the aration plant your vegetables and mulch with straw or other available materials. If you are worried about something moving from the soil into your plants maybe plant in another location this year and let the compost work this year and try it next year. I read an article about someone who did something similar to save a large old pecan where an old oil leaking school bus had set under it for years. He says the tree was dying until he put on the compost. The tree survived and started to produce graet nut crops from then on.

theuniquey · #4 04/28/09, 06:51 PM

If there was grass growing there, then it's not too much of a hazard...tho I'm not sure I would grow deep rooting veggies right on the spots. You should dig around a little and see if the spots were created by a leaky vehicle or was it where someone poured something out on a regular basis, if it helps you sleep (and eat) remove the first 6 or 8 inches and grow shallow rooting plants or incorporate walking paths over the spots. I WOULD NOT have it tested unless you can do it anonymously. Suppose you had it tested by someone who thinks fossil fuels are alien toxins and should be put into plastic bags and removed to an "approved" location....rant....rant....rant! Those spots are almost assuredly fossil fuels and it's obvious the local plant life seem unaffected...so I say just LIVE! If you believe something can hurt you than it can. The obverse is just as true as long as you believe it strongly enough.

65284 · #5 04/28/09, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amwitched

Is there some place nearby that you could send a sample of the soil to? This will tell you exactly what was dumped there.

I agree with uniquey, that's the last thing I would ever do. If there are pollutants present it could very possibly bring the EPA down on you. If that happens be prepared to spend a fortune. Either cleaning it up, fighting them in court, and/or fines. That's a lose/lose deal any way it shakes out.

KimE · #6 04/28/09, 10:24 PM

DH said the same thing about sending a sample off when I asked him; he's worried the EPA would get involved and cause us trouble.

On the soil, thanks to everyone for the sugestions. We are going to remove the sod and what dirt the plow dug up and dig down a bit more than put compost over those spots and check into the soil activater. I'll just wait until next year to plant in those spots. Luckily the old owner never cleaned the horse lots and they are now at least a foot too deep with wonderful black dirt and I can keep adding our own chicken/rabbit/horse manure pile on the spots all summer/fall.

EDDIE BUCK · #7 04/28/09, 10:39 PM

I agree about not telling anyone,because of EPA. A few years ago, around here, a lot of country stores had to close because they could not afford the clean up. So if EPA dosen't know about it,make dang sure they never do. Eddie

peacebaker · #8 04/29/09, 08:52 AM

You might consider raised beds with new soil and perhaps a barrier. That's what they do in "urban farms" where they converted potentially polluted land to food producing gardens.

I'd just hate to think he burned plastics or that heavy metals could be in there. There could be some really nasty stuff there that could last for years. Since part of the point of growing your own fruits and veggies is to avoid that stuff...

ronbre · #9 04/29/09, 10:42 AM

yeah you don't want the government in your back yard..but oil in the soil is nasty..there was an oil spill where our old house was..but it doesn't generally spread..

i would mark out those spots and try to design your garden "around them" using those areas for things like..paths..compost piles over them..a bench there...whatever..and then as you plant..plant things in a succession that puts the food that is MOST likely to be affected by the oil the farthest reaches from it..

my best guess would be to put an arbor over the oil spot..a bench under it or a swing on it..and put the grape vines on either side of it..but not IN it..then plant a fruit tree grouping on either side of that..the next oil spot..put your compost heap over it with some branches or coarse items between the compost heap and the soil??

the next one..maybe put a table and chairs over the oil spot..and then in an area farther out..put a hedge of raspberries..blackberries..etc.

save the best soil for root and fruiting crops that grow closer to the ground..

that is my opiinion and what i would do..there is a similar area in our garden..it was a burning spot and who knows what all was burned there..but it only grows weeds..now it is my compost pile..and i don't plant my low growing crops nearby it.

mtnbluet881 · #10 04/30/09, 06:07 PM

Might I suggest growing some plants hydroponically (sp?) over those dark spots. Check out Randy's Hydroponics for some how to's on that.

In the mean time you could try to reverse that soil area with red worms. Read my Vermicomposting posts for info on that. Just click on the Vermicomposting tag. Soon I will be discussing my present method of growing red worms. Much less time consuming and thereby more satisfying.

By growing some of your food plants using hydroponics you can still make use of your garden space, you just won't be using the soil.

How Do I · #11 05/01/09, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 65284

I agree with uniquey, that's the last thing I would ever do. If there are pollutants present it could very possibly bring the EPA down on you. If that happens be prepared to spend a fortune. Either cleaning it up, fighting them in court, and/or fines. That's a lose/lose deal any way it shakes out.

Yep, I've seen that happen before too.