Hi everyone, new member here.

I live in a place that used to be full of orchards. Conventional farming depleted the soil until it was no longer viable to continue. As usual, people tried to regroup their money by building houses. I bought a home with a small yard, and I am trying to reclaim the soil so that I can grow my own fruit and vegetables organically--not an easy task.

My home is wood frame with vinyl siding, cement foundation. The yard has a wood fence that is in a cement foundation, and the wood may be impregnated with arsnic to prevent weathering and bug infestation. for sure, the wood is stained or painted. So my question is as follows:

Do the chemicals in the building materials leach into the soil when it rains? If they do, are they absorbed by my* plants and then, when I eat them, by me? This is important because I give a lot of my crops away and I need to be able to tell people if they are organic or not.

Thanking you in advance for any information you can provide, and for any suggestions you might have.

Health and good bounty to us all,

Joanna