Abstract
In this study, ecological evaluation of the soils of the private gardens located in the industrial area and in the suburban rural area was given. The results of physical and chemical analysis of soil samples were summarized, and the obtained data were statistically processed. Soil and vegetable samples for analysis were taken from private gardens located in the city near «Kazzinc» LLC. In ad-dition, samples were collected from the outskirts of the city – Akhmirova village for comparative analysis. These samples were prepared for chemical investigation to determine the content of Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cd.The findings revealed that the levels of heavy metals in the soils of the industrial area are several times higher than those in the suburban rural area. The average values of the analyzed metals in the industrial soils across all studied regions exceed the safe levels accepted in Kazakhstan. In the samples taken in the industrial area, the content of all investigated heavy metals was 2 to 8 times higher than the internationally recommended safe level. Despite being grown in the same environmental conditions, vegetables have different accumulation levels of heavy metals. However, it should be noted that high concentrations of heavy metals in the soil affect their content in plants. The highest levels of heavy met-als were found in vegetables grown in the industrial area, while the lowest levels were observed in the suburban area.