A section of my allotment was used as a fly tip and bonfire site. I've
cleared all the rubbish and started to turn the ground over, I'm finding all
sorts of stuff rusty nail, metal, chipboard and plastic.the soil is a lot
darker with some red lumps which break up when crushed. my question is
should I use this section of ground to grow veg, I was going to plant some
cabbage and kale,or will it contaminant the crop, the allotment is quite
large and there's plenty more ground needs turning over/weeding, so leaving
some of it wont be too bad.
Thanks
Any advice would be appreciated
Paul

No, it's too risky
- Old metal or wood items may have been painted with lead paint that is
poisonous.
- Fly-tipping often involves nasty items like asbestos that are expensive to
dump legally.
Unless you are feeling very brave I would be inclined to clear away as much
as possible of the solid material (using strong gloves), bag it up and take
it to a council dump. Do this after rain so that there isn't so much dust
to breathe.
Plant flowers only in this area.

- Arthur

"PA" wrote in message
...
A section of my allotment was used as a fly tip and bonfire site. I've
cleared all the rubbish and started to turn the ground over, I'm finding
all
sorts of stuff rusty nail, metal, chipboard and plastic.the soil is a lot
darker with some red lumps which break up when crushed. my question is
should I use this section of ground to grow veg, I was going to plant some
cabbage and kale,or will it contaminant the crop, the allotment is quite
large and there's plenty more ground needs turning over/weeding, so
leaving
some of it wont be too bad.
Thanks
Any advice would be appreciated
Paul

thanks Arthur I did think as much, I was thinking if I planted a perennial
green manure which I could cut down and use as mulch or compost it, do you
think that would be ok or still a risk of contamination, the rubbish that
was dumped looks like household waste, old carpet, and what looked like a
bedroom suite
thanks
Paul
"Arthur" wrote in message
...
No, it's too risky
- Old metal or wood items may have been painted with lead paint that is
poisonous.
- Fly-tipping often involves nasty items like asbestos that are expensive
to
dump legally.
Unless you are feeling very brave I would be inclined to clear away as
much
as possible of the solid material (using strong gloves), bag it up and
take
it to a council dump. Do this after rain so that there isn't so much dust
to breathe.
Plant flowers only in this area.

- Arthur

"PA" wrote in message
...
A section of my allotment was used as a fly tip and bonfire site. I've
cleared all the rubbish and started to turn the ground over, I'm finding
all
sorts of stuff rusty nail, metal, chipboard and plastic.the soil is a
lot
darker with some red lumps which break up when crushed. my question is
should I use this section of ground to grow veg, I was going to plant
some
cabbage and kale,or will it contaminant the crop, the allotment is quite
large and there's plenty more ground needs turning over/weeding, so
leaving
some of it wont be too bad.
Thanks
Any advice would be appreciated
Paul

"........ the soil is a lot darker with some red lumps which break up when
crushed .........."

This is the result of having bonfires on the soil, in it's self no problem.
If you are worried contact the Council from whom you are renting the
allotment and ask them to test the soil for contamination. They should do
this for you ASAP and will either give it a clean bill of health, or offer
you a new allotment.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

They always used to say plant potatoes to clean the ground but not sure I
would be too keen to eat them from this bit

"PA" wrote in message
...
A section of my allotment was used as a fly tip and bonfire site. I've
cleared all the rubbish and started to turn the ground over, I'm finding
all
sorts of stuff rusty nail, metal, chipboard and plastic.the soil is a lot
darker with some red lumps which break up when crushed. my question is
should I use this section of ground to grow veg, I was going to plant some
cabbage and kale,or will it contaminant the crop, the allotment is quite
large and there's plenty more ground needs turning over/weeding, so
leaving
some of it wont be too bad.
Thanks
Any advice would be appreciated
Paul

"David wrote in message ...
"........ the soil is a lot darker with some red lumps which break up when
crushed .........."

This is the result of having bonfires on the soil, in it's self no
problem.
If you are worried contact the Council from whom you are renting the
allotment and ask them to test the soil for contamination. They should do
this for you ASAP and will either give it a clean bill of health, or offer
you a new allotment.


Totally agree with David, get your council Allotment and also the
Environmental Health people involved now, if it is contaminated then they
are the people to do something about it.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

Getting the council involved might be helpful, but there's such a wide range
of possible contaminants I doubt they could test for everything that might
have been there. That would need a very extensive and expensive analysis.
You mention plastic and if that's been burned you can get all sorts of
compounds including cyanide. There's only one way to be really safe and
that's not to eat food grown just there.

Arthur


"David Hill" wrote in message
...
"........ the soil is a lot darker with some red lumps which break up when
crushed .........."

This is the result of having bonfires on the soil, in it's self no
problem.
If you are worried contact the Council from whom you are renting the
allotment and ask them to test the soil for contamination. They should do
this for you ASAP and will either give it a clean bill of health, or offer
you a new allotment.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

They always used to say plant potatoes to clean the ground but not sure I
would be too keen to eat them from this bit

"PA" wrote in message
...
A section of my allotment was used as a fly tip and bonfire site. I've
cleared all the rubbish and started to turn the ground over, I'm finding
all
sorts of stuff rusty nail, metal, chipboard and plastic.the soil is a lot
darker with some red lumps which break up when crushed. my question is
should I use this section of ground to grow veg, I was going to plant some
cabbage and kale,or will it contaminant the crop, the allotment is quite
large and there's plenty more ground needs turning over/weeding, so
leaving
some of it wont be too bad.
Thanks
Any advice would be appreciated
Paul

"David wrote in message ...
"........ the soil is a lot darker with some red lumps which break up when
crushed .........."

This is the result of having bonfires on the soil, in it's self no
problem.
If you are worried contact the Council from whom you are renting the
allotment and ask them to test the soil for contamination. They should do
this for you ASAP and will either give it a clean bill of health, or offer
you a new allotment.


Totally agree with David, get your council Allotment and also the
Environmental Health people involved now, if it is contaminated then they
are the people to do something about it.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

Getting the council involved might be helpful, but there's such a wide range
of possible contaminants I doubt they could test for everything that might
have been there. That would need a very extensive and expensive analysis.
You mention plastic and if that's been burned you can get all sorts of
compounds including cyanide. There's only one way to be really safe and
that's not to eat food grown just there.

Arthur


"David Hill" wrote in message
...
"........ the soil is a lot darker with some red lumps which break up when
crushed .........."

This is the result of having bonfires on the soil, in it's self no
problem.
If you are worried contact the Council from whom you are renting the
allotment and ask them to test the soil for contamination. They should do
this for you ASAP and will either give it a clean bill of health, or offer
you a new allotment.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

They always used to say plant potatoes to clean the ground but not sure I
would be too keen to eat them from this bit

"PA" wrote in message
...
A section of my allotment was used as a fly tip and bonfire site. I've
cleared all the rubbish and started to turn the ground over, I'm finding
all
sorts of stuff rusty nail, metal, chipboard and plastic.the soil is a lot
darker with some red lumps which break up when crushed. my question is
should I use this section of ground to grow veg, I was going to plant some
cabbage and kale,or will it contaminant the crop, the allotment is quite
large and there's plenty more ground needs turning over/weeding, so
leaving
some of it wont be too bad.
Thanks
Any advice would be appreciated
Paul

"David wrote in message ...
"........ the soil is a lot darker with some red lumps which break up when
crushed .........."

This is the result of having bonfires on the soil, in it's self no
problem.
If you are worried contact the Council from whom you are renting the
allotment and ask them to test the soil for contamination. They should do
this for you ASAP and will either give it a clean bill of health, or offer
you a new allotment.


Totally agree with David, get your council Allotment and also the
Environmental Health people involved now, if it is contaminated then they
are the people to do something about it.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

Getting the council involved might be helpful, but there's such a wide range
of possible contaminants I doubt they could test for everything that might
have been there. That would need a very extensive and expensive analysis.
You mention plastic and if that's been burned you can get all sorts of
compounds including cyanide. There's only one way to be really safe and
that's not to eat food grown just there.

Arthur


"David Hill" wrote in message
...
"........ the soil is a lot darker with some red lumps which break up when
crushed .........."

This is the result of having bonfires on the soil, in it's self no
problem.
If you are worried contact the Council from whom you are renting the
allotment and ask them to test the soil for contamination. They should do
this for you ASAP and will either give it a clean bill of health, or offer
you a new allotment.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

In article , PA
writes
thanks Arthur I did think as much, I was thinking if I planted a perennial
green manure which I could cut down and use as mulch or compost it, do you
think that would be ok or still a risk of contamination, the rubbish that
was dumped looks like household waste, old carpet, and what looked like a
bedroom suite

I seem to recall reading a few years ago about a plant which could be
grown on contaminated land such as old gasworks sites, and which could
stand many times the normal levels of contaminants. They were growing
the plant, which absorbed the heavy metals and other contaminants, and
then taking it away and incinerating it in toxic waste incinerators.
This was supposed to be cheaper (now there's a surprise) than taking off
the top few feet of topsoil and dumping it in a landfill somewhere else.

John

--
John Rouse