Planting over old garbage site

[mudda]

Is this a bad idea? The previous owners had a huge hole they dumped and burned in. No telling what they burned, or dumped. I was thinking the area to the side of it would be ideal for some fruit trees. I'm just wondering if it's safe. They wouldn't be directly where the hole was, but within say maybe 20 feet or so. Is there any risk of chemicals or other stuff affecting the trees and fruit? There are some small pines there now.

 

[Cassandra]

It would make me a little nervous. It might not be an issue with household trash, but--like you say--there is no telling what they dumped in there.

I read a lot of real estate appraisal reports, and every once in a while I come across a piece of property that is environmentally impacted by dumping (of trash, or chemicals or accidental gas tank leaks, etc...) And it isn't always the property that I'm reading about which was polluted. Sometimes it's a neighboring property. So, that kind of pollution can definitely spread to neighboring property.

Most of the time, several years after the event(s) there is an environmental study done and the site is fine. Sometimes, there has to be a cleanup done and another study which will show the site is pollution free. Point being, I don't think you can be absolutely SURE a place is environmentally safe without a study. But heaven only knows how much something like that must cost!

Bottom line--I'm not sure if I would do it or not. If I had another place to plant stuff I would go with a different spot. If that was the only place on my property where I could plant stuff, I'd have to think about it real hard.

Cassandra