I need a science lesson

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2011-05-03 11:57

I am hopping to understand a little better how these things work.
I would love to again grow a "safe" garden. How deep have the soil sample test been. Would you consider doing a test in the same location at different depths?
Would it be possible to have a "clean" garden box, by removing the top 6 or so inches of soil and replacing it with bagged soil.
I'm thinking I need to pull up all the strawberries for this year.
But what about the blueberry plants? If I pick the flowers and not let them fruit this year, will they be OK next year, or do I need to put in new bushes. :(
I'm really wondering how to keep my family safe AND healthy.
We are all getting tired of frozen organic spinach from China?!
Also, is the sandbox so bad? Is there a way to clean it up also? My young children LOVE to be out in it
Thank you so much to the Berkeley team!!!
You have been the only place for intelligent information and discussion.

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I know this probably isn't

Submitted by tjaucott on Tue, 2011-05-03 12:37.

I know this probably isn't the answer you're looking for, but your question is quite specific.

You asked, "will they be OK next year?" This depends on what you mean by "OK". Those of us on the team don't feel that these levels of radiation are a health hazard at all, so for us, they would be OK to eat from right now.

I know many don't agree with that statement, but then how would you like to define "OK"? If you mean, "will they have zero radioactivity in them?", then I'm sorry, no; they will never be 100% free from radiation, natural or man made.

I also worry about your one statement about getting frozen spinach from China. If you're trying to avoid as much radiation as possible, then you should not be eating anything from China. Not only are they closer to Fukushima than we are, but the amount of radioactive dust they emit from coal plants dwarfs anything we see in our food here in California.

Tim [BRAWM Team Member]

Thank you for your fast

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2011-05-03 14:24.

Thank you for your fast response! I agree, produce from China does not seem like the answer. Any thoughts about removing some of the topsoil and what would be a "safer" depth?

I think there are a lot of

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2011-05-03 12:37.

I think there are a lot of mommies who need a science lesson....so I thank u for asking these questions. I too and wondering about all of these things. BRAWM thank u for being so patient with us and for taking time to answer many of the questions. This has been a great resource to try to gain understanding as parents.