GardenSafe

Find out what’s in your soil with our new community science program.

Waste and chemicals that pollute our air, soil and water can persist in the environment. Most chemicals enter our environment through sewage, waste, accidental discharge, or can be by-products from industrial activity. Historical contamination sources, like lead paint and leaded gasoline have also impacted urban soil quality.

Contamination can affect soil quality and impact how our veggies grow. It may also have human health implications from eating garden produce or working in the garden if contaminants are present at high concentrations.

GardenSafe is a soil testing program run by our Community Science team. This ongoing program aims to equip community with the knowledge and resources they need to understand backyard soil quality.

Register for GardenSafe

Register for GardenSafe to find out what's in your garden soil. GardenSafe is free to access (except for the cost of postage) and available to all Victorian residents.

Register for GardenSafe

GardenSafe invites you to send 3 garden soil samples for screening. We will assess your sample for:

  • Garden soil quality indicators, including soil composition, organic carbon, and soil nutrients phosphorus and potassium
  • Trace elements, including lead, arsenic and chromium.

The findings from GardenSafe will help to build EPA’s understanding of contamination, especially in urban areas.

Register for GardenSafe to get involved.

More information

Understanding your GardenSafe report

Your results can help guide your gardening practices to grow better veggies and make decisions about whether you need to take further action to protect your health.

Plant nutrients

The essential nutrients for plant growth—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—are present in soil and most fertilisers. Organic matter such as manure, compost, and leaf litter also contribute these key nutrients to your soil.

While our equipment cannot screen for nitrogen, it does measure the total concentration of phosphorus and potassium. Your results provide an indication of how well your plants are likely to grow.

Trace elements

Trace elements are a range of chemicals and minerals that may be present in your garden soil. Trace elements can come from many sources. Legacy chemicals from industry, leaded paint and petrol, and mining activities can all contribute to soil contamination.

At high concentrations, they may have harmful effects on human and environmental health. These contaminants include lead, arsenic and cadmium among others. We have listed some strategies that you can use to remove or reduce soil contamination. Removing or reducing soil contamination may require a combination of strategies.

Health Investigation Levels (HIL)

We compare your results against the Health Investigation Levels guideline for residential gardens with accessible soil (HIL A). These guidelines help identify when further investigation is recommended. If your results are above these guidelines, your garden soil may be contaminated. If this is the case, you may need a more detailed analysis. You can engage an environmental consultant who may:

  • conduct a site investigation,
  • collect samples and
  • submit them to a NATA accredited laboratory.

GardenSafe helps gardeners make informed decisions to protect their health and the environment. When you understand your screening results, you can enjoy a healthy and sustainable garden.

Remember to always follow safe gardening practices, such as wearing gloves and washing your hands, to minimise potential risks. Find out more and register for GardenSafe.

Environmental Science Series: What's in your soil? Find out with Gardensafe

Environmental Science Series: GardenSafe

Our former Chief Environmental Scientist, Professor Mark Patrick Taylor, hosted a panel of speakers to help you learn about a new program from EPA that turns your yard into a GardenSafe one.

GardenSafe lets you find out about what’s going on in your backyard with:

  • Garden health
  • Potential soil contamination
  • Ways to manage your soil.

All you need to do is send in three garden soil samples for us to analyse, with no cost to pay except for postage.

Our scientists will analyse the samples and provide a short report detailing the results and how to interpret them. Participants can also access information on growing fruit and vegetables safely in their gardens.

The program provides fast analysis of contaminants in garden soil and will help both you and EPA get a better idea of what’s in soil across people’s backyards in Victoria.

Professor Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria

Mark Patrick Taylor was Victoria’s Chief Environmental Scientist at EPA Victoria, previously being a Professor of Environmental Science and Human Health at Macquarie University, Sydney, specialising in environmental contamination and the risks it can pose.

His research expertise covers environmental contamination in aerosols, dusts, sediments, soil, water and potential risks to human health. His work has focused on mining and smelting emissions and depositions, as well as contamination in urban environments. His work is genuinely global with research, consulting and expert advice covering Australia, Africa, Asia, Chile, New Caledonia, Fiji, Indonesia, New Zealand, UK and the USA.

Prof Taylor’s work has a special focus on ‘human environments’ including analysis of blood lead levels in children, firefighter PFAS exposures, trace metals in wine, honey, residential veggie patches, household dusts and drinking water. Topical research includes assessment of atmospheric trace metal emissions from wildfires.

Dr Adam P Martin, GNS Science (NZ), co-founder of SoilSafe Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Dr. Adam Martin is a geochemist with more than 20 years research experience. Originally born in Melbourne, he completed his undergraduate studies with honours at Monash University before completing his doctorate at Otago University in New Zealand. After three years as a NERC postdoctoral research fellow in the UK he has taken up a position as a senior researcher with GNS Science, where he now works.

Dr Martin is the New Zealand representative for the IUGS Commission on Global Geochemical Baselines and is leading the collection, analysis and interpretation of soil chemistry in urban and regional settings, and nationally, across New Zealand. He is a principal investigator in the community science programs analysing metals in soil and dust in Aotearoa for people’s wellbeing.

Kara Fry, Citizen Science Officer, EPA Victoria

Kara Fry is a Citizen Science Officer at EPA Victoria. Kara leads EPA’s GardenSafe program, which aims to educate community about our General Environmental Duty to reduce harm from pollution and waste in our backyards.

Her research interests include exploring patterns of urban pollution in unique ways – from the soil you grow your veggies in, to the bees that pollenate them. In her previous role at Macquarie University, Kara led the VegeSafe and DustSafe citizen science programs, helping communities across Australia to learn more about pollution in their home environment.

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