Need some advice on a old burn site please.

[4390evans]

I've been turning over a bit of my garden which was used as a burning area, everything has been burnt there plastic rubber metal wood etc for years. I've raked it and took off all the old crap on the top and started to turn it over remove weeds etc but is there anything else I should do? I'm wanting to grow food in this area but was wondering is there anything I should be careful of? or anything I should put into the ground?

[Bill HH]

I would reserve this area for growing stuff you give away to neighbours, then watch them closely for any side effects.

[Feral007]

There are some people with science backgrounds on here somewhere. I'm wondering about any breakdown from the heavymetals and the plastics.

What are your neighbours like

[Bill HH]

There are some people with science backgrounds on here somewhere. I'm wondering about any breakdown from the heavymetals and the plastics.

What are your neighbours like

Well some of them are definately into heavy metal.

I think you have a problem because you dont know what exactly was burnt there, maybe batteries for instance. In the end the safest course would be to dig it out and get rid of the soil but that sounds a terrible faf. maybe devote that area to flowers for a few years.

[4390evans]

Think the neighbours would defo suss I was up to something if I started being nice haha

If it is dubious grounds I might just use it for the bairns pumpkins for Halloween and flowers around them.

I might just take it all out next year and put my own compost on that area as we have loads going atm.

Thanks guys x

[Greenleaves]

It really depends on what was burnt, most of the dioxins would have been dispersed into the atmosphere during burning but there is always a risk that certain chemicals have leached into the soil.

As chemicals are bio accumulative I would avoid the area unless I was certain it was safe.....you could always send a soil sample for analysis

[Alison]

Not necessarily, I'd not want the bottom ash out an incinerator anywhere near my veggies, if plastics have been burnt there then I'd keep it for ornamentals for a few years.


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[Two_Sheds]

if plastics have been burnt there then I'd keep it for ornamentals

Phytoremediation is the use of plants eg. willow, to remove pollutants from the environment

Professor Colin Black Lab Pages

"Harvesting the aboveground vegetation annually makes it possible to reduce the concentration of cadmium in soil to safe levels in three to 10 years."

Using Plants to Clean Up Soil

[kathycam]

I'm also dealing with some land that has been used as a bonfire site for years. It's in my back garden, so I'm guessing no burning of tyres or anything too smelly, as people would complain. I have found bits of glass and nails and other small bits of metal. No melted plastic. Is there anything I should keep an eye out for, as obvious no no's to use it as a growing space. We have collected up most of the ash and were going to mulch over it with cardboard and then use the soil from the compost heap area. It's right in the middle, so would rather have it as a useful growing space than a flower bed.

[green thing]

I get really annoyed when they bring cr*p to burn on the allotments
The plot above me has just burnt a plastic bath , vacuum cleaner
And a shed which was held together with layers and layers of
lead paint.
They think when its burnt it just disappears magically into the air and I
Get all the run off when it rains .

the problem is you don't know whats been burnt and where
I try and remove as much as possible
Another plot holder got so fed up finding cr*p he did all
his planting in raised beds above it all and brought soil in
That he knew wasn't contaminated.

[4390evans]

Just thinking about Phytoremediation I had something pop up a few years ago on my nest feed about a area in china or Japan that was highly toxic and the locals had used plants to clean it, I thought it was amazing but didn't think that much into it to be honest. You would think with all the pollution etc about now this would be known among people.

I more or less know what's happened to the burn site in my garden for the past 20 year just not really what's been burnt on it. Its only been a burn site for 2-3 year previous to that it was covered over with stones etc etc.