Graham stop, Williamsburg, circa 2005. My mid-20s Brooklyn newbie roommates and I had a garden in our backyard, and we grew tomatoes, sunflowers, peppers and zucchini. But after one of our zucchinis grew to be three feet long*, we started to wonder whether our dirt was actually safe enough to grow anything. Maybe we should have thought about that before we planted. So before you buy any seedlings to get your summer garden going, you should probably find out whether your soil is home to a family of toxic chemicals. This Saturday (4/22) from 10am–2pm you can get your soil tested for free at the Greenpoint Reform Church (136 Milton Street), and NAG (Neighbors Allied For Good Growth) is hosting free soil testing workshops for three upcoming weekends. Here’s the schedule:
Saturday, April 22 – 10am-2pm – Greenpoint Reform Church – 136 Milton St.
Saturday, May 6 – 10am-2pm – McCarren Park Greenmarket – N 12th St. & Union Ave.
Saturday, May 13 – 10am-2pm – McCarren Park Greenmarket – N 12th St. & Union Ave.
*I later realized maybe we had bought seeds for a certain type of Italian zucchini that grows super long. But we were afraid to eat it, and it sat on our countertop for the entire summer, and eventually we had to compost it.