tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Mar 31, 2020 11:11:43 GMT 10
I’ve been in a dilemma about using styrofoam boxes because if I’m not going to use them I need to go to a store for more pots - which I don’t want to do, so I’ve spent the morning trying to find out the issues. We’re very conservative here with risk of chemicals from things - use few plastics, etc. I’ve decided that I will use them, but I’ll replace them by summer. The boxes I have are not new but are in good condition. The issue with leaching seems to be when styrofoam gets hot (eg a coffee in a styro cup) or starts to break down. Considering that it is cooler weather now, the boxes shouldn’t warm up as much as they would in our hot summers, and they shouldn’t break down significantly before summer. I found such contrasting info about this, but there was one site I found that seems quite conservative in what it thinks is acceptable, and I was sure they’d say no to styro, but they didn’t. Here’s one link to that site. There are other pages with a lot more detail. themicrogardener.com/choosing-a-container-the-pros-and-cons-2/themicrogardener.com/choose-safe-containers-for-growing-food/
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norseman
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Practical is Tactical!
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Post by norseman on Mar 31, 2020 12:41:00 GMT 10
Part of the advantage with growing in containers is you can move them if you need to, too much sun / not enough sun etc. Styrofoam containers break they are not good if you plan to move them they break and you can lose months of work instantly!
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bug
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Post by bug on Mar 31, 2020 13:37:05 GMT 10
I am using them as makeshift saucers for when I can't water for a few days. The pots go in the container. It is not filled with dirt.
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Post by SA Hunter on Mar 31, 2020 16:24:30 GMT 10
I've used them for the past few years - I usually get 2-3 years use out of them before they break down - potatoes, herbs, silver beet, beetroot, tomatoes.
As norseman said, try not to move them when they have plants in them - yes, I lost a swag of strawberry plants.
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