Kay Leonard

I am really interested in this topic! The church where I am on staff has two or three acres of green grass, which we don't do anything with, other than water and mow. I'd love to create gardens that provide food for hungry people. Can the grass be just rototilled under and a garden planted, or is there concern about remaining lawn chemicals in the soil?

Thank you, Tom! I had been thinking that would be the thing to do...but wanted to check with the experts!

I'm new to this site and posted this earlier under the wrong forum. Oops!

I moved into a house last summer which was previously occupied by a gardener. The good news is that she left us four nice-sized raised beds. The bad news is that she evidently scavenged the boards to make the beds, and they are painted, inside and out. I don't like the idea of raising food in these beds where there is paint peeling off the inside of the boards. What ideas do you have on what I should do? Move the soil and line the inside of the boards with something? (If so, what?) Remove the boards and put something else around the soil to hold it in place? Something else entirely?

Thanks for your help!

I moved into a house last summer which was previously occupied by a gardener. The good news is that she left us four nice-sized raised beds. The bad news is that she evidently scavenged the boards to make the beds, and they are painted, inside and out. I don't like the idea of raising food in these beds where there is paint peeling off the inside of the boards. What ideas do you have on what I should do? Move the soil and line the inside of the boards with something? (If so, what?) Remove the boards and put something else around the soil to hold it in place?

Thanks for your help!