A friend of mine's garden had used motor oil poured in it by a mean nasty neighbor.......?

Question

......a couple years ago, and now wants to try growing veggies in her garden again soon. Do you think it's safe now, and if not what should she do. It can't be moved because it was done in the only sunny spot in her yard, the only possible place for a garden. Do you think it's safe now? Grass is growing good there now.

Answer 1

You can try using it for a garden this coming year. but the oil won't go away if you don't till it deep where the oil is and add alot of peat moss and leaves and stuff to the soil to kinda seperate it.. after you till it and work it for a year it should be pretty good soil again.. grass growing good is a good sign..
I would till up this fall and add stuff to it and start spreading your compost and stuff on it over the winter to be tilled again in the spring before you plant your stuff it should turn out pretty good. alot of grass clippings in it will work really good to build the soil back up too. Use your grass clippings next years mowing too to keep the grass and weeds from coming back up kinda like mulch and then it will work its way down in to the ground and it just keeps building the soil up all year round..
remember till as deep as you can and get everything mixed in good. it will work this coming year and even better the following year.
good luck and happy gardening

Answer 2

If you are in the USA, all contaminated soil must, by law, be dug up and taken to a toxic landfill.

Can you prove the neighbor did it? After three years, it will cost over $100,000 to clean up, and the neighbor is responsible.

I am serious, one quart of used motor oil can contaminate three acres. It's not the oil itself that is dangerous, inside an engine, the cadmium and lead from the bearings are suspended in the oil.

These metals are highly toxic.

Biological Remediation: Grow onions in the location for several years. Onions are very good at absorbing heavy metals, each year send a few of the onions to a lab and have them tested for heavy metals. Do not eat anything from the garden till you get a clean lab report.

Another alternative, build a raised garden, fill with clean soil.

Answer 3

Take some soil into your local garden center and have them test the PH level of the soil. If it's right, its ready for planting. It really depends on how much motor oil was misplaced in the garden.

The only thing would be to test the soil, but if grass is taking, more than likely it's ready.

Make sure you till up the soil really really well, as you till it up, mix some Nitrogen in with it, as well as ogranic mulches and top soils. Make sure the tilled portion is watered really well and more than 4 times as to displace any leftover motor oil that is stagnant within the soil.

Good luck

Answer 4

Why not raise the garden bed using old railway sleepers for the walls, fill in with soil mixture best for vegies..like rose bushes, vegies grow better in raised beds..

Answer 5

If the grass is growing then the oil has probably washed or seeped away.

Answer 6

I would want my soil tested for any kind of chemical that might still be toxic or cancerous,,I'm just weird that way but the health department will probably do that for her.

Answer 7

I HAVE A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH A "NICE" NEIGHBOR!!!!THEY PUT SALT OVER MY FLOWER GARDEN!TELL YOUR FRIEND TO GROW VEGETABLES IN THE GARDEN AND THEN,OFFER THEM TO THE NASTY NEIGHBOR!!!!SO, YOU WILL FIND IF THE VEGETABLES IS GOOD FOR EATING!!!

Answer 8

She should plant in raised beds. It's easy and she'll grow really good plants that way too.

Answer 9

absolutely should be fine just tell her to use good top soil and the proper nutrients compost humus

Answer 10

contact your local EPA office to get things started,then open a large can of whupp a_ _ on your neighbor to get things finished!!!