I read an article that pvc is not agood idea in the food garden.Why? Does it leach chemicals in to the soil?
I saw some ideas for watering pots using pvc--good ideas--organic garden--
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Jun 24, 2009. 6:30 AMClaude3 (author)
says:
I was trying to recycle some pvc that was used for the pool lighting project that is now my garden. Above ground trellis for hanging beans and cukes. My initial feeling is that it is MADE for potable waterlines. Then I read an article that made me second guess--thanks for the input.
PVC will not leach anything. It is used everywhere for potable waterlines. metal, clay, and ABS are all horrible choices for not leaching anything metal will rust, ABS can be filled with plastic degradable foam, clay can leach and stain. PVC is a solid choice.
Yes, PVC may leach out dangerous chemicals into soil or water. Then again it may not; and it's not clear how much chemical would be leached, or how far it would travel in the soil if it did. You can use ABS pipe as alternative to PVC - it's slightly more expensive, but much more environmentally friendly - it's available at most hardware stores. Or if you want get away from plastics altogether, you could use metal, or perhaps even clay, pipe. (Note: I personally see no problem with PVC for above-ground uses, like for the hoops in a hoophouse.)
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