Warning: Check your community garden soil before planting anything

I was over at the Lincoln Park community garden last Saturday helping a friend get their plot ready. Something looked off about the dirt, real dark and almost oily. Turns out somebody dumped old motor oil back there maybe 10 years ago before the garden was put in. The city tested a sample and said lead levels were 4 times above safe limits. My friend lost half their planting space for the season. Has anyone else run into bad soil in a shared garden?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliotm708d ago

Three years ago our neighborhood garden had the same problem, turned out the entire strip used to be an old auto shop parking lot. It's wild how many of these community plots are sitting on top of stuff nobody thought to check for.

diana_black8d ago

Huh, I see it differently @elliotm70. Yeah, contamination happens but most community gardens are started on old lots or empty spaces that got looked at first. My cousin runs one and they tested soil before planting anything. Not every plot is a hidden toxic waste dump waiting to happen.