Question

Does anybody know how to tell if your soil in the backyard is safe to plant vegetables? Moved into a new place and it is my first year planting vegetables. Theres lots of worms and such, being a little overly cautious just because I dont know what was in the garden before hand. I'm not sure if they had a dog etc. Thanks!  

Answer 1

I understand its probably a stupid question to most but this is my first year, to all the people laughing at my post. I actually see a lot of passiveness on a lot of these posts in this group. I'll be leaving hah. Thanks for everyone who gave me advice! Seems like a bit of a negative page.  

Comments

@peat64825 join Gardeners Friendly Fun Shed there is no nonsense tolerated it’s ran by *older people and it’s a fantastic group to be in.  

Answer 2

Get a soil test that screens for contaminants. Some municipalities offer them for free or low cost here.  

Comments

Not just pH, that will only tell you how acidic or alkaline the soil is. Test for nutrient levels and contaminants (it’s all on one test)

Answer 3

If you've got lots of worms, that's generally a great sign that you've got really good soil.  

Answer 4

Just plant them. Most people have been eating veg directly sprayed with chemicals, a bit of soil that had dog poo in the past is not going to hurt you. The worms would of already done the work and turned bad to good.  

Answer 5

Worms won’t go where the soil is bad . So having worms is a good sign. If your unsure you could do raised beds and bring your own soil on and out on top. But to be honest if you’ve got worms your ok. Just plant.