Gardening on Poisoned Land

Gardening On Poisoned Land

A woman called me. She and her husband had bought the perfect home. But they had just gotten back the soil samples, the last home owners had saturated the soil with pesticides and other poisons for many years.

She wanted to garden but she did not want any of that poison in the produce.

I suggested she gather as many abandoned or unwanted bath tubs and deep sinks as possible, layer manure and old straw into them. Really fill each container, heap them up. Let them sit through the winter and then garden next spring.

She got the bathtubs, deep sinks, toilets, wadding pools, old stock tanks and other things by getting on the radio and asking people for them. An organic farmer called the show and offered her some old hay for free. An organic dairyman offered her free old manure.

Her husband proudly told me they had over 100 tubs, deep sinks, stock tanks and 30 toilets and toilet reservoirs. He has already filled them with layered old straw and old manure.

“But it is 6 months until next spring. We can not garden until then.”

I suggested they buy some mushroom kits and indoor herb gardens.

It will be many years, if not a decade or more, before their land can be used for growing food, but they now have plenty of good, safe and healthy garden areas.

Do you have any tips for growing food on poisoned land?

Please use the comment area to share them with me.