• Soil pollution contributes to water and air pollution.red algae image by antoine perroud from Fotolia.com
  
  Soil pollution occurs when a chemical is introduced into the soil in higher than normal quantities or that normally doesn't occur at all. Soil pollution may result in water pollution through runoff or the leaching of contaminants into groundwater. It may also lead to air pollution when toxins are released into the air. Gardeners should take precautions and use chemical products wisely so that pest control and fertilization programs don't lead to pollution.
  
  

Test Your Soil

• Before beginning any fertilization program, determine what your garden needs by having your soil tested. Different soils require different nutrients and applying chemicals in excess of what is needed may not only harm your plants but pollute the soil. Your local agricultural extension office can test your soil for you and provide recommendations about what fertilizers to use.
  
  

Follow the Label

• Addressing the Alabama Cooperative Extension, Dr. Charles Mitchell points to homeowners and gardeners as one of the worst abusers of chemical fertilizers. Many hold the misconception that if a little bit of fertilizer will help their lawn or garden, then extra should improve it even further. This isn't the case, however. Excessive use of fertilizer pollutes the soil, where it leaches into groundwater and runs off into lakes and streams. In the Gulf of Mexico, an aquatic dead zone the size of New Jersey can be attributed to fertilizer runoff into the Mississippi River. Always read the label before applying any fertilizer products and follow the directions precisely to avoid contamination of the soil.
  
  

Clean Up

• In a study done by the University of Minnesota's Limnological Research Center, researchers found that grass clippings and fallen leaves left in the street contributed significantly to phosphorus pollution. Plant leaves naturally contain phosphorus that they extract from the soil, but when they fall on hard surfaces, they cannot be reabsorbed and run off, polluting the soil and groundwater wherever they end up. Keeping your lawn clippings and leaves out of street gutters minimizes this source of pollution.
  
  

Go Organic

• Organic gardening seeks to replicate natural processes that promote healthy plants and soils and considers the impact of a gardening decision on the whole system, not just the plant or garden in question. For this reason, organic methods--such as composting, crop rotation or planting a cover crop--tend to pollute soils less. However, even when using organic fertilizers, take care to apply in accordance with your soil's needs and follow the directions on the label. As reported in "Science Daily," overuse and misuse of organic fertilizers pollutes soils just like chemical fertilizers and with the same disastrous results.