• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Liv Smith
  • Leigh Tate
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Maieshe Ljin

How to test soil/compost for toxic gick

 
J Webb
pioneer
Posts: 50
Location: USDA Zone 6b, Coastal New England
13
kids cat forest garden books urban cooking
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
My local extension has tests for heavy metals, but it’s unclear to me how/where to get it tested for herbicides, plastics, and other gick I’d rather keep out of my food.

Soil-wise our yard is nestled between old houses (lead paint risk) and not far from where there used to be some tanneries (chromium). Recently the park nearby was closed due to the presence of arsenic in the soil. The heavy metal test covers these. My neighbors have used commercial fertilizer and weed control products (incl roundup), and I have no idea how the yard was maintained before we moved in.

Compost-wise I am on the fence about adding cardboard and paper. I know about the gick that goes into paper/cardboard products. It’s unclear to me what the effect of adding it to compost is (if any).

suggestions or scientific research on the subject appreciated.
 
James Black
pollinator
Posts: 365
98
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Have not used them, but this outfit offers specific testing as well as packages to target a variety of pollutants

Tap Score
 
J Webb
pioneer
Posts: 50
Location: USDA Zone 6b, Coastal New England
13
kids cat forest garden books urban cooking
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Thanks... looks like Tap Score is just for testing water sources though.
 
James Black
pollinator
Posts: 365
98
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
My bad, just have water on the brain today. I guess you could thoroughly soak a soil sample with distilled water and strain the result and have that tested. Not sure how scientific that would be, but seems likely at least traces would show up.
 
I once met a man from Nantucket. He had a tiny ad
GAMCOD 2025: 200 square feet; Zero degrees F or colder; calories cheap and easy
https://permies.com/wiki/270034/GAMCOD-square-feet-degrees-colder
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic