Urban Ag for Southern Californians (March 2015) | Page 13

Soil Resources
U.S. EPA's Brownfields Program
A brownfield is a municipal zoning term that refers to a site that has been
previously developed. Many of these sites have experienced toxic levels of
contamination. Check with your local municipality or purchase a soil test to
determine if your site is a brownfield.
http ://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr/bfgrants/Brochure.pdf
Brownfields and Urban Agriculture
This document created by the EPA contains guidelines for safe gardening practices
in brownfields.
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/urbanag/pdf/bf_urban_ag.pdf
Best Mycorestoration Practices for Habitat Restoration of Small Land Parcels
Mycorestoration is the process in which fungi degrade or sequester toxins in the
soil. It can be a long term solution to contaminated soils. This thesis throughly
discusses the basic principles of mycorestoration.
http://archives.evergreen.edu/masterstheses/Accession86-10MES/Stamets_LMESthesis2012.pdf
University of Illinois-Successful Container Gardens
If your soil is contaminated and time for remediation is not viable, one option is a
container garden. This link has information on selection, planting and
maintenance as well as 'do it yourself' (DIY) container construction.
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/containergardening/welcome.cfm
Planet Natural-Raised Bed Gardening
Raised bed gardening is an another immediate solution for contaminated soils. It
should be noted that a barrier, natural or hardscape, should be placed between
the polluted soil and the raised bed system. Raised beds are world renowned for
their highly productive yields.
http://www.planetnatural.com/raised-bed-gardening/
Kiss the Ground-soil education
Kiss the Ground is an organization based in Venice, CA dedicated to educating
people about the importance of soil. They provide educational information as
well as opportunities to volunteer.
http://www.thesoilstory.com/#!education-2/cntk