Honestly, I never thought much about dirt being dirty until last Tuesday. See, my kid started digging in our backyard for some “treasure hunt” game. Watched her shoveling soil barehanded, then immediately grabbing an apple to munch. Had that sudden panic moment – wait, is this dirt actually safe? Grabbed my gardening gloves and decided to test it myself.
What I actually did
First, I scooped handfuls from three spots: the kids’ play area, my veggie patch, and that shady corner where nothing ever grows. Laid them out on old baking sheets on my kitchen counter (got some looks from my wife, ngl).
Tried three simple checks anyone can do at home:
- Sniff test: Buried my nose in each pile. The play area dirt smelled like wet leaves (fine), but that shady patch? Straight up rotten eggs – major red flag.
- Squeeze test: Made a fistful damp with bottled water. Veggie soil held its shape when I opened my hand like nice cookie dough. The shady gloop stayed muddy sludge.
- Worm hunt: Dug around for earthworms. Found zero in play area dirt, but veggie patch had three fat wrigglers per scoop – means healthy soil!
Still felt like guessing though. So I got clever with stuff around the house: sprayed white vinegar on separate spoonfuls. Two soils fizzed like crazy – means alkaline? No clue. But the shady patch just soaked it up with zero bubbles. Weird.
The messy truth
Turns out you need science for real answers. Borrowed a neighbor’s $20 pH meter – turns out my veggie soil was perfect at 6.8. That dead-zone dirt? Acidic as hell at 4.1! Explains why plants died there.
Most shocking was testing the “clean” play area. Found out through my local garden club’s free testing program that it had dog poop bacteria levels over safety limits. Guess that’s what happens when your retriever thinks that corner’s his personal toilet.
End result? Kids now wash hands after playing in dirt. That shady corner’s getting sealed off. And my veggies? Totally fine – worms never lie. Still feels weird saying this but: sometimes clean-looking dirt is dangerous, and funky dirt is just weird but harmless. Who knew?
