Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day to one and all! If you haven't heard, April 22 is Earth Day. It's a day for all to focus on making our planet a cleaner, healthier, greener place to live for ourselves, our children, and the generations to come. It's an important reminder that we need to be teaching a respect for the earth in our children, ourselves, and others living here.

Earth Day is about Earth. It's about the soil under our feet that we take for granted 24/7. Think about the soil in your yard, neighborhood, city, etc. Is it healthy, or is it polluted and contaminated? If you are involving your child in gardening (and I hope you are) find out what was on your soil before you took over. Ask around the neighborhood and call the city office to see if there have been buildings or businesses that might have contaminated your soil. Call your county extension office for a soil sample kit and have your soil tested. Be certain to have it tested for Lead and contaminants as well as the usual things (fertility, acidity, soil makeup, etc.).

Some areas that are near busy roads, highways, near old buildings (or where buildings used to be) or factories may have a high lead concentration from exhaust fumes (remember leaded gasoline?), lead paint, etc. If this is the case, do not plant a vegetable garden in that area. Plants can absorb lead and other contaminants or become covered with lead dust from the soil and it can get into your body (and your child's body) by eating the plants. If contaminated, do not let your child handle the soil or play on bare dirt areas. Mulching helps keep the lead dust down. Lead is easily absorbed by children and high lead levels/lead poisoning can cause many problems, not limited to, but including learning disabilities, mental impairment, even death. Mention lead poisoning to neighbors in older neighborhoods who are growing vegetables up against the house or garage. Encourage them to have their soil tested and learn how to lower the lead levels in their soil. If the soil is contaminated, that does not mean that gardening is out of the question for you. There are ways to lower the amount of contamination. Alternatively, you can consider building raised beds filled with fresh soil or container gardening. Ask your county extension office for suggestions. There is even the possibility that some types of plants (such as Brassica juncea) may help to clean the lead out of your soil , but the research is continuing.