James Branham

This stuff varies from just a few inches thick to a foot thick. Some of it has enough soil on top of it now to grow grass, other places it protrudes from the ground in patches. Being inactive for so long do you think it has rendered itself harmless even though with enough heat it will burn? When it first catches it will burn by itself with a yellow flame, if you pull it out of the fire. I was told the well has been inactive for about 50 years and the concrete block on top of the well head (i am guessing about the purpose of the concrete) is very very weathered.

I live in Southeastern Illinois, just outside of Keensburg, an old oil mining town. I think it is crude oil soaked into the ground. The soil here is sandy and this stuff has no rock in it, just sand. This stuff does burn. After it gets hot and starts glowing red it will break up into fine particles. It will not burn without a hot flame getting it real hot. When the flame from this stuff burning starts to die down, if you break it up it will flame up again for a while. After it burns it is brown like dirt. I think the well itself has been sealed because there is a 4' cube of cement on the site. I don't think Illinois is set up as easy as Oklahoma for fixing this mess.

I have 5 acres and plan on the same thing. I bought a set of books called "Edible Forest Gardens" by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier. It was expensive to me, over 100$. The first book details how the forest ecology works and how the different plants live and thrive together, or not, and the multiple natural growing scenarios that occur in the forest. It is over 300 pages. The second book is how to do your own forest garden. You must have a pretty good site assessment and evaluation. That takes time and lots of observation. I moved to my property last March. I did a couple traditional gardens and paid close attention to everything around me and how the site works naturally. You don't want to fight Mother Nature.
I think you have good property with a water supply and lots of potential.

I'm just starting a forest garden. There is so much I don't know yet.

I have some land that was drilled for oil about 50 years ago. There is an asphalt like substance on parts of the land. I suspect it is old crude that spilled onto the dirt and has remained for ages. I have been told it is harmless but I can't say I believe that. Any suggestions about what to do to verify this or how to repair the site?