soil testing in Davis

[loravarnion.livejournal.com]

I just harvested a bunch of beautiful potatoes grown in my back yard on Kidder Ave. I have not done any soil testing, so I don't know whether I should consider the products of my garden, particularly potatoes, safe to eat.

Are there any gardeners in the Davis area who have done soil testing? If so, who did you contact to do it, and what were the results?

Comments

[amethystmoon.livejournal.com]

I heard somewhere, I think it was a landscaper on This Old House, that the safe assumption is to never plant vegetables within 10 feet of a foundation in New England, since so many houses had clapboards covered in lead paint at one time or another.

Does anyone know how long it takes lead to disperse or degrade in soil?

[sprrwhwk.livejournal.com]

Lead is elemental. It doesn't really degrade. Dispersion depends on how toxic it is, and, IIRC, lead is toxic in pretty low doses. I don't think it's going to go away soon, at least on human time-scales. Your best bet is probably to have the soil replaced.