Contaminated soil

I’m currently trying to build hugelkultur mounds and have random areas of dirt in my woods. Me and my spouse were planning to dig in the dirt and apply this dirt to my mound. I’ve been warned that these mounds may be from them making creosote poles on my property. I’m sure it’s been at least 40+ years but should I get this dirt tested for contamination and if so where?  I’ve contacted my county extension agent and they don’t test for contamination. Btw I live in NC where there is a big presence for agricultural education.

Thanks for sending me down a rabbit hole! My curiosity pointed towards biochar and mycoremediation. I then watched this entire presentation



The presenter shows evidence that with a little stimulation, native soil fungi can be very effective at breaking down PAH contaminants. Great science and cute too!

There are mushrooms and some plants that can help remediate contaminated soil.

After 40 plus years there might not be any contamination left.

Maybe a smell and taste test would help determine if contamination is still there.

Was your County Extension Agent able to tell you who does soil testing?

Hi Charlotte!  Welcome to Permies!  I have to say that you have posed a very real, serious issue but done so in the most thoughtful and Permies-focused manner that it just demands some good attention.

I have to say that the video submitted by Brent is an excellent tool for tackling your dilemma.  I will also add that since I became a member of Permies several years age, I have become a devotee to the amazing and sadly overlooked abilities of fungi.  Specifically I use fungi to decompose wood chips and turn them into the most fertile garden bedding that I have ever seen.  But fungi certainly don’t stop at breaking wood.  They break down all sorts of nasty things in soil and can go a very long ways towards remediating that soil.  Now I have not really had that problem (toxicity) on my property so I lack that specific experience, but I am ALWAYS amazed at all the unique things that fungi can do. In fact, once I made my first fungi-wood chip garden, I radically re-visualized just what soil even was and I better understood the relationship between plants, soil, fungi and more.

So you have taken your first baby step into the amazing possibilities of fungi.  That’s great.  In a minute I will post a set of links that I made a while ago that collects a bunch of fungi related material into one place.  And if you really get the itch, I do suggest the thread I made a while back that details my journey from being a completely fungal-naive, neophyte to actually having at least some ability and more confidence in just how to make fungi work for you.

Thanks for posing a great, thoughtful question and I will get that set of links soon!

Eric

OK Charlotte, here is the list that I made a while back.  

Turns out that I made several separate threads as I was starting my fungal journal.  My biggest one is titled "composting wood chips with chicken litter and fungi."  This really marks my very beginning of actually trying out Wine Caps in particular and while I cannot vouch for Wine Cap's ability to break down toxins, this may give you a glimpse as to at how to go about a fungal journey of your own.  Note though that I am no expert--I am an enthusiastic amateur.  I have some pretty decent knowledge now about Wine Caps, but my fungal journey continues.  And if you read that thread, you will see that I made mistakes going along, especially at the beginning.

I will also vouch for all of the wonderful threads made by resident fungal and soil expert Redhawk.  I learned a tremendous amount from reading his posts and he did help me early on.  There is a collection of his links also and he is an absolute wealth of information.

So with that, I will leave you with this link to a series of other threads.  I know that this might sound like drinking from a fire hose, but I tried to at least put all of the really excellent sources in one place.  

Good Luck and please, do not be afraid to ask questions!  

Eric

https://permies.com/t/wine-cap-mushrooms

Good morning folks! I'd like to find out how we remove slag from our soil and other polluting material. Please let me know if there's anybody out there who knows these things. Take care!