QuestionI asked Rick Hern this question, but he must've been having a bad day because he answered curtly that he had already answered my question before - although I don't recall ever being on this website before or wondering about container gardening (must be early Alzheimer's on my part :)
The question is, with growing in containers, you must have to be concerned about any chemicals etc from containers that may leach into the soil when you are growing veggies. I am considering buying Earthboxes or another similar box from another company. Plastics can contain estrogen mimickers which cause cancer, although I think it is usually soft plastics. Do you know if there is any of this in Earth boxes or similar boxes, or if there is any other toxic chemical?
I thank you in advance for your polite answer.
AnswerI don't know why Rick Hern didn't answer your question, perhaps he didn't know how to find the answer.
I didn't know the answer either, so I went to my search engine, Google. I put in toxic plastic first. I found a quote that read..."There is no safe plastic." The article talks about all of the toxic plastic polluting the world, and we, the public, are told by the media that it is safe.
I then put Earth Boxes in my search. I went to their website and looked for any information about what the boxes are made of. There was a line in their ad that said "100% natural and earth friendly." So I wrote to them and ask them for information about how safe they were and what they were made of. I didn't hear from them, so I called them. I was told that they are made of the same plastic used to make milk jugs, and food containers, and it is considered very safe. But as you say, it is plastic, and there is no safe plastic,,,,!
There was another site josho.com that told how to make the boxes yourself from "Rubbermaid" tubs. But is rubber any safer then plastic? It was much cheaper then buying the Earth boxes, but is it safer?
Finally my research lead to someone who suggested using wood to build the box. I liked the idea of using a natural product that has no chemicals in it. As I read down, he said " and line the box with PLASTIC." Good grief.
But, that got me wondering why do you need to line it? What is the purpose of the plastic or rubber?
I see no reason why you can't build a sturdy wooden box, with a water well in it and a wick system to pull the water into the soil above, and get the same results. I don't think it is the material of the box that makes the difference, but the constant water and fertilizer, and that doesn't need to have plastic or rubber to work.
bakerplanter
