Soil

The first chemistry results from Mars' northern plain reveal an environment more hospitable to life than some scientists had predicted, one that might allow future colonists to grow crops as familiar on Earth as asparagus and green beans. Strawberries, though, might be tougher, Phoenix mission scientists said Thursday. "We're flabbergasted by this data," said Sam Kounaves, the lead scientist for the wet chemistry experiment on the Phoenix spacecraft, which landed May 25 on Mars.

An exhibit that really dishes the dirt is in the planning stages at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington. Seeking to plow new fields of knowledge, the Fertilizer Institute announced it is making a $1-million grant to the museum to create an exhibit on soil science next year. And after the Smithsonian, the exhibition won't lie fallow: The sponsors hope it will go on the road for three years, visiting cities across the country.

Environmentalists, labor union members and community members launched a soil-cleaning initiative Thursday to help rid yards in a New Orleans neighborhood of what they say are unhealthy levels of such substances as arsenic and diesel fuel. But state and federal government officials strongly disputed that the soil was contaminated, and accused the activists of "scaremongering." New Orleans East saw major flooding from broken levees after Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29.

A study of how earthquake waves from the San Andreas fault travel through different types of Southern California soil marks what scientists say is a promising first step in an ambitious effort to pinpoint neighborhoods and even individual city blocks where the shaking would be most severe.

A San Francisco jury Tuesday imposed punitive damages of $100 million against Vulcan Materials Co. and $75 million against Dow Chemical Co. in a lawsuit brought by the city of Modesto over groundwater and soil contamination. The state court jury Friday awarded $3.17 million in compensatory damages against Vulcan, Dow and other defendants. The jury also imposed $75,000 in punitive damages against R.R. Street & Co., a maker of dry-cleaning chemical and laundry equipment.

Bowing to pressure, including a request by two state lawmakers, one of the state agencies overseeing Boeing Co.'s cleanup of its rocket testing site near Simi Valley agreed Wednesday to delay soil removal in a contaminated area until after it holds a public meeting.

There are certain phrases I never expected to utter in my lifetime. Things like, "Excuse me if I don't shake your hand. Mine's covered in horse urine." Or, to my son, "When you're finished with dinner, clear your plate and feed the scraps to the worms." Yet those are exactly the sorts of things I've found myself saying in the months I've been an urban farmer. A year ago, I didn't have a vegetable garden. I had a couple of lemon trees, but I'd given up on potted plants, having killed every rooted thing I'd attempted to nurture on my back deck.

You've built a raised bed or set out some pots. Before you plant, you've got empty space to fill. Here are three experts' suggestions for the best potting mix: Mel Bartholomew is Mr. Square Foot Garden, author of the 2005 Cool Springs Press book "All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!" His blend calls for equal parts peat moss, vermiculite (or perlite) and compost. Concern over the sustainability of peat moss has prompted some gardeners to substitute coir, which is fiber from coconut husks.

THANK you for Robert Smaus' article on SoCal-suited bulbs ["Beauty That Not Only Lasts -- It Multiplies," Oct. 5]. To mark where my bulbs and alstroemerias are buried (so I don't disturb them in the summer), I leave a section of cheap wire fencing lying on the ground over them, the pokey ends bent into the soil to hold everything in place. Sometimes I poke or sprinkle some summer annual seeds on the area for summer interest. CHERIE ROUSE \o7Loma Linda\f7 I have searched the websites Mr. Smaus listed and found them to be disappointing.

Re "Kicking Up Sand," [Jan. 10]: The continued popularity of off-road vehicles (ORVs) such as side-by-sides poses crushing problems for land managers and natural areas across America. Not only do these machines cause damage to the soil, plants and wildlife, the racket of their engines carries for miles and ruins the outdoor experience for people who visit quietly. Tom Ribe Santa Fe, N.M.