green is universal

Soil of Slytherin?

Hi Mr. Green!

We just bought a house in Lake County California and know that much of the soil there is serpentine.   I'm looking at various ways to start a garden.  One way is in raised beds; another is building a deck garden.  I'm curious- could I amend the soil in some way to grow vegetables, flowers, etc.  If I can amend how would I do it?  I know that Serpentine Soil contains asbestos so digging up the current land would not be a possibility.  Can you advise me about this soil?  

Thanks for your time,
Tumultuous Topsoil

Dear Pretty in Pots,

Congratulations on your purchase in Lake County, California. As most folks know, buying a new home is a major life event (next to getting hitched and/or adding a child to your family) and it should be a shared time filled with excitement and joy.

For those not familiar with Lake County - it's just two hours by car from San Francisco and Sacramento Valley, is neatly tucked in between Mendocino, Sonoma, and Napa and is most notable for its spectacular beauty that includes distinctive grasslands and chaparral.

Chaparral landscapes (in the US, they're found primarily in your new home-state of California) describe a shrub-filled terrain that occurs when mild, wet winters and hot dry summers happen, paired with cycle-after-cycle of brushfires, and can be best described as being "Mediterranean."

Chaparral plant species are primarily densely-growing evergreen scrub oaks and other drought-resistant shrubs that grow tightly together, many of which, sadly, include those that are rare or endangered and specifically only occur in serpentine soil. These plants are tolerant of its extreme conditions such as a low calcium-magnesium ratio, and a lack of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Serpentine-tolerant flora are also resistant to the high concentrations of the heavy metals such as chromium and nickel that are common in this ground... needless to say, only very special hybrid plants that have evolved over millennia continue to exist in such an environment.

Serpentine is also a term used for the type of greenish rock in your area--one that forms when sediments are heated and compressed under the earth's crust--and these rocks contain white streaks of natural forming asbestos. Asbestos fibers can be miniscule and when unsettled they often descend to the ground or become airborne leaving unsuspecting individuals, animals and other life forms exposed. And as everyone knows, asbestos fibers are a known human health risk.

It would take mountains of compost and gypsum to amend your serpentine soil to the point where the dirt is revitalized and suitable for petunias, marigolds or stretches of Kentucky bluegrass. But your home is in a distinctive landscape within an already fragile eco-system with potential health risks to yourself and everyone within your vicinity, if you decide to disturb its unique beauty... so perhaps raised beds or a deck garden are your best and safest bets.

Personally, I wouldn't stir up the local landscape, and I certainly wouldn't eat anything grown in it.  My advice... if you need beefsteak tomatoes and basil, purchase them at a local farmers market where they were grown in healthy soil.  Leave the beauty of your topography intact and frame its treasured view with a pot or two (or twelve) of your favorite flowers, herbs or drought tolerant perennials grown in sterilized, fertilized store-bought potting soil.  Even raised beds, if not done correctly, could just be asking for trouble.  The toxins in your natural environment underneath the beds could leach up into the raised root systems, so my advice: go with the pots.
 
If however, you're determined to master your natural terrain, you need to do it as safely as possible.  The good news is that there is help out there--but it's essential that you get that help before sticking your spade in the ground.  I'd suggest that you contact an expert on serpentine soil and Chaparral plant species, such as the Lake County University of California Cooperative Extension.  

But remember, it's not nice to play games with Mother Nature, so again, I say, stick to the pots!

about mr. green

From re-gifting, re-cycling, to natural cleaning products for your home, Mr. Green has all of your ecotiquette answers. Our Mr. Green (aka. Michael De Jong), is the author of "CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing." He lives in Jersey City with his partner (Richard,) dog (Jack,) and three goldfish (Phil, Jill and Gill) all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in "CLEAN" and is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by an immigrant family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of "CLEAN" books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on www.thedailygreen.com. "CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing" can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.

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