Is your soil safe to grow in?

Community gardens are often on old urban land, and the soil can carry the history of the site, including lead from old paint and petrol. It's worth knowing what's there, especially if children garden with you.

Get it tested

VegeSafe, a Macquarie University community science program, has offered free metal screening for home and community garden soils. Check its current terms before you send a sample. For an accredited result, use a laboratory accredited by NATA. Ask your coordinator first, since the garden may already have results.

Reading the result

VegeSafe uses the Australian residential soil guideline for lead of 300 mg/kg as its reference point. This is a guideline, not a line between safe and unsafe, so ask your local health service or council if you're worried about a result.

If lead is high

• Grow food in raised beds or tubs filled with clean, imported soil.
• Put a permeable barrier, such as geotextile, between old soil and new.
• Keep soil covered with mulch so dust doesn't blow around.
• Wash your hands, and wash or peel what you harvest.
• Leave soil outside at the garden, not on shoes and tools brought indoors.

Good habits anyway

Washing produce, wearing gloves and keeping soil mulched are worth doing at any garden. Compost and bagged soil can also carry bacteria and fungi, so avoid breathing the dust and wash your hands afterwards.