"TimK" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
My local community garden had some soil delivered by the city, but
there is some concern about the potential that the soil is not safe to
grow edible plants.

Is there any reliable way to test if soil is appropriate to grow
edibles? My local extension school offers lots of nutrient and
biomass tests, but I don't see anything about testing for
contaminants.

I realize that the pool of potential contaminants in soil is
inexhaustible. However, what would people recommend as basic
precautions.

Thanks,
Tim

I am not sure that shotgun testing is going to help much or be cost effective.
Does this soil have no provenance? Can you follow it back to its origin and
determine the risk of contaimination? Even if you identify that there is some
risk it will focus your testing down to something practical and affordable.

David