Lead in rhubarb? - Ask Extension
I had the soil in my alley garden tested last Fall. My plan is to grow flowers in this garden, but there is one clump of rhubarb growing. The lead was...
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Lead in rhubarb? #866188
Asked April 28, 2024, 5:29 PM EDT
I had the soil in my alley garden tested last Fall. My plan is to grow flowers in this garden, but there is one clump of rhubarb growing. The lead was 1245ppm. Do I need to worry about lead being taken up by the rhubarb, or about my grandchildren helping me in this garden given the lead? They are good handwashers :-) Thank you so much!
Ramsey County Minnesota
Expert Response
If your test is accurate, you should not be using the rhubarb, nor should your grandchildren be playing in that area. The EPA recommended cutoff for lead contamination in a vegetable garden is 400 ppm.
You should also mitigate spreading contamination into your home. Here is a good reference:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/lead-garden-soils/
I would recommend getting several soil tests done at various locations so you can determine the source of the contamination:
https://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/testing-services/lawn-garden
You should also mitigate spreading contamination into your home. Here is a good reference:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/lead-garden-soils/
I would recommend getting several soil tests done at various locations so you can determine the source of the contamination:
https://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/testing-services/lawn-garden
Thank you so much Dennis! I removed the rhubarb right away and am following the procedures to keep the lead out of my home. I'm pretty sure the source of the lead is the alley garden itself. 100 year old house--at some point a garage would have been torn down probably painted with lead paint. In addition, I have found all sorts of nails, bolts, and other trash in the soil--even a battery.
I have one more question. I did a little research and read that sunflowers can take up the lead. I grew sunflowers last year and have a few growing this year. However, in St. Paul, we take our yard waste to a yard waste disposal site and if I take the sunflowers there after they die, am I just spreading the lead to others in the compost?
On Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 05:05:50 PM CDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The sunflowers should be disposed of as if they were hazardous waste. Do not compost and do not put into a community compost:
https://americanairtesting.com/lead-soil-abatement-with-sunflowers/
https://americanairtesting.com/lead-soil-abatement-with-sunflowers/
