10 Tips for gardening in a healthy way.

1. Use clean soil and compost.

If you are concerned about contamination of the soil in your garden, you can send it to analyze at a laboratory certified by New York State.

2. Use beds (flowerbeds / beds).

Build the beds as deep as long are the roots of the plants and frequently add compost or organic material.

3. Do not use treated wood.

Avoid using train sleepers, telephone, treated or painted wood because they can contain substances chemicals that can get into the soil.

4. Maintain the pH and nutrients.

Healthy soils have nutrients well balanced and a pH close to neutral (6.5–7).

5. Mulch the ground.

You can use straw or pieces of wood for the beds, and decorative bark, gravel or pebbles for walkers and other areas where they are not grown vegetables. This reduces the contact of the children with the ground, splashes and the amount of dust that is brought into the house.

6. Watch the children.

Make sure the little ones don’t eat dirt or take toys or other dirty objects to the mouth. Children small may be more sensitive to certain chemicals in the soil, like lead.

7. Leave the soil in the garden.

Avoid bringing garden soil into your home. Shake or wash tools and roots harvested while in the garden and change your shoes before entering the House.

8. Wash your hands.

Wash your hands after working on the garden and ensure that the children play or work in the garden do what same. Consider wearing gloves while work in the garden, and don’t forget take them off when leaving.

9. Wash and peel the vegetables.

Wash leafy vegetables very well wide and the roots that are what may contain more soil, and if it is possible, peel them.

10. Place a barrier under children’s play areas.

Separate the soil below the areas of games with cloth of the kind used in landscaping or other durable material.

Top with sand or bark decorative clean. Check from time to time when the barrier and make sure the soil below has not mixed with play materials.

If possible use polytunnels to keep your garden safe and clean. You can easily find it on Amazon.