Safest way to transition from flowers to veggies?

[Annie Mac]

We are considering buying a house soon. We have one we are really thinking about putting an offer on. I would like to have a veggie garden in the backyard. Currently, there is a beautiful flower garden there, which I would, sadly, have to dig up. That's OK though. What I am concerned about is the health of the soil for edible plants. I can only assume, from the immaculate nature of the flower beds and surrounding grass, that the current homeowner has used chemical sprays and god knows what else. I have a book about veggie gardening in my area, and will prep the soil beforehand (it says to plant fava in the fall and turn it under in the spring, then plant your summer plants), but what about toxic residues? How long do they last? What is the safest, most organic way of going about transitioning from flowers to edibles?

[Annie Mac]

No one? Any book recommendations on the topic?

[JamieCatheryn]

Certified organics are grown on land that's been pesticide free for 5 years. But if you go organic from the time you take over you'll probably get better than grocery store conventional produce from the start. Turning in a cover crop will be a great start, also making compost to add would help immensely, since the soil in conventionally grown gardens gets so depleted of beneficial life and trace nutrients.

[Annie Mac]

Thanks Jamie! Do you think any food grown in it the first year will be safe to eat? I did not spot a single weed or dandelion, so I'm assuming they're using the really nasty stuff, Roundup or such things. I'd be especially concerned about the root veggies.

[JamieCatheryn]

Depends if you consider conventionally grown produce safe to eat I guess. I do, though it's by no means ideal, especially the dirty dozen list items.