Unsafe to grow herbs near laundry exhaust?

[seespotsave]

I would like to plant an herb garden in the front of my house as it is closest to the kitchen and has just the right amount of sunlight. Plus I would love to smell it every morning on my way to work! The only thing stopping me: the laundry exhaust is RIGHT there. Personally I'm not worried about it but my dear husband and his overly concerned mother think it would be unsafe. Is there really reason for concern? As long as they had confirmation from a professional they would let me plant it there. Apparently my hopeful speculation isn't good enough. hehe

[hendi_alex]

A laundry exhaust? What would be unsafe about that? Minute amounts of lint and tiny amounts of residual detergent in the water vapor. I doubt that any noticeable amount would end up on the plants. IMO the biggest indication of a problem would be a build up of lint, and you should already see if lint build up in the area is a problem. The lint filter catches all but the smallest of particles. All human activity carries some degree of risk, but emissions from a dryer vent wouldn't be on my list. If worried, you could always place some kind of barrier or deflector between the plants and the exhaust.

[applestar]

Do you use fragranced detergent and fabric softener or dryer sheets?

If you do, and grow your herbs so close to the exhaust, I guarantee I'll be able to detect the fragrance chemicals on the herbs. Does that mean it's dangerous? Well, to me it would be. You decide.

As for the safety for the plants themselves, like marlingardener said, irregular bursts of warm, moist air may disturb the dormant, protective state of the herb plants rather than sustaining them though the winter.

But I remember someone posting about an ornamental plant that should not be winter hardy in ummmm....Chicago area?.... Growing strong and multiplying over the years right next to their laundry exhaust. So a lot depends on the plants and the laundry schedule.

[hendi_alex]

Yep it makes sense to me that the fragrance and fabric softener sheets could present a problem. Didn't even occur to me as we use free and clear detergent and use no fabric softeners. Even then, personally I would have no problem unless the plants are growing directly in the stream of air flow. I still think that some kind of barrier or deflector shield, maybe a foot from the foundation would be a good solution as it could deflect the exhaust to over and around the herbs. Lastly, in terms of any possible health risk. I'm wondering what volume of these plants do I eat and how much of this low level exhaust material is likely to get ingested. The answer is probably just above zero. For me, if I didn't have an alternate location, would plant the herbs, modify the air flow as much as possible, and let the taste test determine whether the herbs were suitable or not. From my perspective there is no valid reason to be overly anal about such low levels of fairly benign chemicals. After all, one grocery store bell pepper probably will have thousands of times more residue and of the highly toxic kind. Such simply can't be avoided, though we work hard to avoid the worst, often buying organic for the most serious pesticide offenders.

[PunkRotten]

I have a Gardenia growing right in front of the laundry exhaust for years. Doesn't seem to bother the plant in fact I think it might like the little bursts of heat. As for something you plan on eating I don't know if it is safe.