Research & reports

Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.

1 results

• Excess phosphorus from compost applications in urban gardens creates potential pollution hotspots

  2019

  Gaston E. Small, Paliza Shrestha, Geneviève S. Metson, Katherine Polsky, Ivan Jimenez, Adam D. Kay · Environmental Research Communications · United States

  Survey data from 142 gardeners and urban farmers in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, USA, characterized phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) inputs and harvest, and measured soil P concentrations at a subset of sites. Median application rates were 300 kg P/ha and 1400 kg N/ha, with low nutrient use efficiencies (2.5% for P, 5.0% for N). Garden soils had a median Bray P value of 80 ppm, far exceeding recommended levels, indicating a buildup and potential loss of P and N. Urban gardens, though only 0.1% of land area, constitute one of the largest inputs of P to the watershed.

  Environmental trade-offsCompostOrganic cycleClimate change
  Read source →DOI: 10.1088/2515-7620/ab3b8c