"Anonymous" wrote in message
newsan.2004.03.25.03.40.23.282864@notarealserver .com...
On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 09:37:39 -0500, Ray Drouillard wrote:


"JP" wrote in message
m...
I am planning to start a vegetable garden this year, I have been
preparing the ground... The best place to have my garden is where
the
previous home-owners dumped their firewood ashes (and God knows
what
else!). I am planning on having the soil tested by the local Ag.
Cooperative Extension... The list of chemicals they can test is
VERY
extensive (and each test cost more). I am planning the basic test
(this
will tell me if it is a suitable place to grow anything...), but
what
kind of other test should have them do? Should I have them test for
Arsenic? Asbestos? Benzene? Cyanide? Lead? Mercury? Any other
metals or
mineral?
I am planning to raise a fammily and I do not want to make anyone
of us
sick... any inputs you may provide is welcome! Cheers!
Save Antartica

Heavy metals are definitely the thing to test for. Don't worry
about
cyanide or benzene. You won't find cyanide there, and benzene will
go
away very soon if the soil is moist and fertile. The stuff is
biodegradable. Also, asbestos isn't a problem unless you grind it
up and
breathe it.


Ray Drouillard

Add organic matter to the testing regimen. Do you have any sound
reason to
suspect heavy metal contamination?

I don't have a reason, but the original poster in this thread is
concerned about his soil. I mentioned that things like cyanide and
benzene are going to go away on their own -- unless they are continually
resupplied. Heavy metals, on the other hand, don't break down. They
may wash away, but they won't break down.


Ray