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ST. LOUIS (AP) _ An effort is underway to provide fertile soil as the groundwork for landscaping at the Gateway Arch grounds in St. Louis.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that contractors in late September planted about 400,000 radishes in an effort to soften compacted soil that’s largely low-quality clay fill. About $5 million has been spent to buy and truck in tons of specific soil blends.

Contractors also have matched compost with the grasses they’re planting so the right nutrients and organisms are in the ground. They’re brewing a special concoction that they’ve been spraying every spring and fall before construction started.

Work on the $380 million CityArchRiver renovation should be completed next summer.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch