My house has recently had much of the original , lead-based paint scraped from it, many of the particles ending up in my beds. Does lead have toxic properties that can adversely affect plants?
A study on street leaves in the days of leaded gasoline showed that the lead was in such miniscule quantities after the leaves were composted as to have no effect on plants. It is a good idea to get rid of as much of the paint as possible as it will linger and may look unsightly, however! Your plants should be fine!
If you want to try to bind up the lead you can try using a soil called "Garden Treasures" it is OMRI certified and has a high cation exchange ability, which means it can help take care of the heavy letals in soils. It contains leonardite shale and is made in Kamloops BC. try http://www.fearlessgardener.com/Products/BestProducts/Garden Treasure Products.htm for more information.
