top_dollar_bread
Senior Member
Posts: 203
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:34 pm
Location: Inland Empire,CA

using recyled water battles to grow?

This year I decided to start a few vegetables and herbs from seed. Since I don't really like to spend to much money on gardening, I went ahead and reused some empty water bottles.
I reuse my mild jugs all the time, so I thought why not. A friend seen some of my vegetables in the water bottles and told me that I shouldn’t be reusing the water bottles. They said there made out of chemicals that are bad for people?
I want to know what you guys think? should I stop growing vegetables in my milk jugs and water bottles??

yumoOo
Full Member
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 2:19 pm

I've heard the same thing but only for people that keep the same water bottle and use to drink out of day after day, they say that eventually it starts to leak some sort of chemical. I forgot what the chemical is called.... I don't know if the same holds true for using them to grow veggies and herbs.

User avatar
hendi_alex
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3604
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina

This thread has quite a bit of discussion related to the safety or lack thereof of food crop gardening in plastic pots

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13271&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

top_dollar_bread
Senior Member
Posts: 203
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:34 pm
Location: Inland Empire,CA

thank you both,
great link alex, after reading, I went and checked the numbers on my plastic containers ive been reusing for growing. I found that all my water bottles and milk jugs are numbered #1. :D
Though I did come across some number #6's on ALL my styrofoam party cups. I used those to start some marigolds and basils :?
Thanks again for the info, ill be throwing out all my styrofoam cups and any plastic containers that don't have a number.
They should really have a big red warning sticker on the bottle, that says "don't re-use", except just some little number that most people don't understand what its there for.

User avatar
nes
Green Thumb
Posts: 631
Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:20 am
Location: Rural Ottawa, ON

They are slowly working toward banning those types of plastics :)

I re-use glass containers, for pasta sauces & such - work just as well & no chemicals!



Return to “Organic Gardening Forum”