I read an article about Roundup and its unsuitability in an organic garden. I have just bought a new home on a rather small plot, and in order to grow some organic vegetables for my wife and me, I will have to dig up some of the lawn. I recently learned that the previous owner sprayed Roundup on dandelions whenever he saw them come up. I don't want to wait two years to plant. I don't need to be a total purist, but if necessary, I would remove maybe 6 to 12 inches of the existing topsoil and replace it with some new, "clean" soil. That seems like such an extreme and expensive solution though. Do you think that the residues left in the soil by next spring will be minimal enough that I could just go ahead and plant next spring and enjoy my vegetables, while I'm waiting for these residues to lose whatever effect they might have? Would my vegetables be more compromised than ordinary supermarket non-organic vegetables? What would you do? Thanks!

Hi Stephen4145. I'm no authority, however, it seems this post would be better suited in "New Gardners" or "Over The Fense"
Red

I agree with Red... more people will notice your question if you ask it in one of the more used threads like "over the fence" or "new gardeners".

Personally... if you're not trying to be a "purist" as you stated... I think you're probably fine. I mean, we all deal with various pollution in one form or another. It's in the dirt, it's in the air, it's in the water (especially for those of us with urban or suburban gardens). We can only do what we can do. If you think large amounts of roundup were used, perhaps you can do raised beds for awhile. I found raised beds easier to maintain anyway... though it would certainly depend on the size of your garden, and it does take a lot of initial work in building the beds and adding soil/compost/etc.

My garden borders an alley - and we have a highway a few blocks over as well as a few well-used streets within a block or two. So I know my organic garden is exposed to at least some level of car exhaust, not to mention toxins blown in from neighbors yards. Lots of people burn garbage in my area too... despite it being illegal... so god only knows what's in the air at times. But I'm still confident that my veggies are less polluted than the non-organic ones I get from the store, or probably even the organic ones from the store... since all those germy hands haven't sorted through my produce before I get to it!

Stephen - you'll be just fine. No need to do the soil change stuff. RoundUp really doesn't have all that long a "life" in the soil.