Safe Gardening Guidelines
Use safe gardening guidelines to reduce your risk of soil lead exposure.
Soil contamination is a difficult natural resource concern to navigate. ACCD has and will continue to help stewards explore options for reducing risk of exposure to soil lead.
- Wash your hands after working in the soil; consider wearing protective gear (gloves, masks, etc.) to avoid ingestion or inhalation.
- Remove shoes before entering indoors to avoid tracking dust indoors.
- Mulch walkways at least 4 inches to reduce soil dust.
- Thoroughly wash all produce to remove surface soil particles.
- Throw away outer leaves of leafy greens and peel root crops.
- Opt to grow fruiting crops like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants instead of leafy or root vegetables.
- Clean tools and equipment.
- Watch children to avoid hand-to-mouth contact with contaminated soil and prevent children from playing in areas with bare soil patches that a likely to produce dust.
- Use raised beds with a landscape fabric barrier instead of planting directly into ground.
Soil 101
A beginner's guide to the basics of soils, what makes them healthy, issues urban soils face and more.