Depth of soil needed to cover possibly lead-contaminated soil? Soil supply recs?

I wonder then, what amount of lead is in the grout and calcium deposits on the tile floors of our lead-pan shower stalls? Should we wear rubber socks or shoes when we shower? I am not suggesting we eat the green manure.

greenmountain

in Garden Design and Maintenance 10 years and 5 months ago

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stickerhappy | 10 years and 5 months ago

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We built raised bed planters in our yard on top of soil that may have lead in it. We didn’t test it, but our neighbor had a raised lead level so we figured we might too. We were just planning on filling in our new planters with about 18″ of fresh soil on top of the existing soil. Is this enough depth to keep the roots from getting at the possibly contaminated soil underneath? Anyone know if there is a recommended depth for covering over leaded soil so that the roots don’t get down far enough? Thanks- and any rec on soil suppliers in the Park Slope area would be helpful too- thanks!

transworld | 10 years and 5 months ago

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One way of getting rid of the contamination is also to plant green manure, let it grow cut it and discard the growth. You can do that few time to lower the lead rate. If you are concerned about your veggies, you can use a layer of plastic film between the existing ground and your beds fresh soil, so the roots will be stopped by it.

bedstuy06 | 10 years and 5 months ago

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Our raised beds tested high for lead and other heavy metals. A couple of the planters had new, bagged soil. on further research, we discovered that contamination can leach up to the top of soil. When we redo our raised vegetable planters, we will put in 2 inches of gravel or other stone for drainage and separation from contaminated ground soil, a layer of landscape fabric and new, certified safe planter soil and compost.

marie-helene | 10 years and 5 months ago

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It depends what you’d like to plant on top, for most everything 18″ is enough (except for large shrubs or small trees.) Lay down a layer of landscape fabric before you add the new bagged soil. Kings Co. on New York Avenue has organic planting mix, landscape fabric and pins, and they deliver. You will need the dimensions of your planters in order to calculate how many cubic feet of soil you need.