Cherry tree planted in back yard, with contaminated soil in adjacent property

(Question)

Hi. I have a cherry tree planted in my back yard, where the soil might be contaminated, since the adjacent property is known to have contaminated soil. Are you able to tell me if the cherries okay to eat?

(Answer)

Thanks for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners.

You are concerned that soil in your back yard may be contaminated and want to know if one can safely eat the cherries from your tree.  What do you know about the contaminated soil on the adjacent property? How long has it been contaminated? With what?  I would want the answers to these questions too.

To err on the side of caution, particularly when it comes to edibles, we suggest having your soil tested.  The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs provides a list of accredited soil testing laboratories in Ontario which can be found here:  http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/resource/soillabs.htm.  The University of Guelph also provides soil testing and can be found here:  https://afl.uoguelph.ca/submitting-samples.

Best of luck with this and we hope you receive good results.