"tmtresh" wrote in message ...
I just found the site I was looking for: http://www.edenspace.com which
sells plants that take arsenic from the soil. They are also experimenting
with plants to remove such contaminants as lead and uranium. I think it's
pretty cool what they are doing.

Initially I found reference to it at
http://www.raintreenursery.com/catal...ing%20P lants
The downside to this is the minimum order is 30 plants at $4.95 each
bringing the minimum order price to a whopping $148.50 plus
shipping/handling!

(Sorry about cross posting this to rec.gardens, because this is where it
really belongs.)

Incidentally, the gent who recommended Zeolite is Howard Garrett, aka
"The Dirt Doctor," who hosts a radio show here and is a big advocate
of organic gardening. I saw the recommendation on his web site and
did the same google you did, revealing Zeolite as an odor control
mechanism. This sparked my initial confusion, prompting me to post
the message.

I was reading a book he wrote this weekend, and he actually talked
about Zeolite and cleared up some of the confusion. In a nutshell, he
said that it will absorb the harmful stuff and then slowly re-release
it. Along the lines of what Pat was saying (in this tread), there are
toxic chemicals everywhere, only in trace amounts. If you can keep
them in trace amounts and in balance with nature, then they don't
really pose a risk.

Something like that, anyway.

I already had a bunch of fresh compost, so I took out the wood this
weekend, replaced it with cinder blocks ($0.95 each at Home Depot for
4 x 8 x 16" - fixed the problem for under $50, but my Kia barely made
it up the hill with that load) and mixed the soil and compost around
really good. Hopefully nature will do the rest.

Lots of fireants in my garden... Man, I hate those things.

Thanks for the advice on the plants. That is a bit expensive, but
it's something to keep in mind.

Chris