thanks for the reply! I'm still working out the soil situation... reading's a bitch.
as for the warning, I live in a rural area and I've been here for over 2 years. i'm not in an apartment (I'm in a rented duplex)... no one lives in the duplex next to me or in the attached house. and no one ever comes in here since I'm living basically in the middle of nowhere. I'm pretty nervous about the steep consequences but the risk is quite low considering my living circumstances.