Curious about air/soil contamination for Toronto urban gardening

[shawn grey]

Hello urban gardeners. Any recommendations for safe urban gardening in a small yard of an approx 140 year brick house downtown toronto. Would contaminates be absorbed by the plants, would the plants be safe to eat, cook with?

Thanks for your thoughts on this!
Shawn

Sent from my iPhone

[Sean Smith]

Hi Shawn,

Here's a Guide for Soil Testing in Urban Gardens produced by Toronto Public Health and shared by Lorraine Johnson to the Grow Food Toronto group not long ago. Hope it might help with some of your questions! :)

Best, Sean

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 Crooked Farmz

 Brewing fresh compost teas and extracts for microbial health
 in agriculture, horticulture and arboriculture.

 crookedfarmz.net // @crookedfarmz // 416.669.1997

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 We Must Heal The Soil. It's That Simple.

 Crooked Farmz is a Certified Compost Facility Operator

 with the Compost Council of Canada.

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[Joe Nasr]

Hi Sean,

I was sure that you'd be right on it, sharing that document which is a fantastic but hidden resource that was prepared by Toronto Public Health, back when there was great staff at the Toronto Food Strategy office who produced useful documents like this one (just a decade ago).  FYI, that document built on extensive research on what was known in terms of soil safety for urban growing, resulting in a document of 300 pages or so.  The document that you shared, Sean, was a publicly oriented document to help growers in figuring how to proceed, based on what that scientific document compiled.  Unfortunately, the Toronto Food Strategy office was closed around Covid time, and the Toronto Food Policy Council disappeared around the same time.

Just some background to the document that you shared - and please continue to share it!

Joe Nasr

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/toronto-urban-growers/1127609030.1644039.1770862235115%40mail.yahoo.com.

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Joe Nasr

jn...@torontomu.ca / joe...@sympatico.ca

[Sean Smith]

Thanks for that background Joe, it helps give us more historical clarity and future focus! :)
Sean

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Crooked Farmz

 Brewing fresh compost teas and extracts for microbial health
 in agriculture, horticulture and arboriculture.

 crookedfarmz.net // @crookedfarmz // 416.669.1997

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 We Must Heal The Soil. It's That Simple.

 Crooked Farmz is a Certified Compost Facility Operator

 with the Compost Council of Canada.

[Phyllis Novak]

Folks, 

Can someone direct me to the right place to 'apply' to market our organic produce at our university?

Thank you,

Phyllis

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/toronto-urban-growers/908032747.1819271.1770913330165%40mail.yahoo.com.

--

Phyllis Novak, (she/they)

Director for Maloca Community and Native Plant Gardens

Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, EUC

York University

4700 Keele Street

Toronto ON

M3J 1P3

DL: 416-803-7856

[Tara Ramkhelawan]

Hi Phyllis,

You could contact the YUM market (York University Market) to be a vendor. I’m not sure if they run during the summer semester though. But maybe they can advise you on where/how to sell during those months as well. 

https://regenesis.eco/en/yumarket

Tara Ramkhelawan
Flemo Farm Coordinator
FoodShare Toronto
416-230-6984 (cell)

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/toronto-urban-growers/CAPQNJKMmr5CXu04j8OG8hRCFar5WYX4MvS4FH%3DLJQE-KD0xW%3DA%40mail.gmail.com.

      

FoodShare is located on the traditional territories of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Anishnabeg, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. This territory is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Anishinabeg and Haudenosaunee allied nations to peaceably share and care for the lands around the Great Lakes.

[Phyllis Novak]

Thanks Tara, yes I've reached. 

We'll definitely contribute to the market. 

Phyllis