Think twice before you decide what containers to put your plants in, particularly when it comes to edibles. Why? The very same properties that make soil a perfect channel for nutrients and water to find their way into plants also make it a channel for harmful toxins, especially ones that are hiding inside the pots and vessels holding the soil itself. Here’s what to avoid and what’s safe to use.
Plastic
Lightweight, and nearly indestructible, plastics have been the magic answer to a myriad of storage, transportation, and packaging dilemmas. ……… Higher density plastics, such as those used to make yogurt pots, soda bottles, and rigid containers like cups, bowls, and planting pots are more stable, and therefore safer to use. Check the underside of containers to determine their suitability: numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 are a good choice for planting edibles. Others are not.………..
Wood
An untreated wooden box is an excellent container for edibles except for the fact that, given time, it will rot. Slap on some stain or preservative paint, and things start to get complicated. Many wooden containers sold to gardeners are pressure treated to increase their lifespan and ability to stand up to moisture. ……….. To minimize any chemical movement, scrub or power wash wood prior to usage. ……….………..
Metal
A safe pick is metal. It’s true that in humid, moist climes, pots can quickly rust, but the oxidized metal doesn’t leach into the soil the same way lead does………..Foam
Foam trays can be recycled from fishmongers and grocery stores and are a great way to start seedlings. They create an excellent well-insulated environment for young and tender plant roots—provided additional drainage holes are added to trays. It’s true that styrene, one of the ingredients in foam, is listed by the National Institute of Health as a carcinogen. But it takes a long time to degrade (somewhere in the order of hundreds and hundreds of years) and does not easily break down when exposed to water, air, or dirt. So seedlings will do just fine in it.
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Article source: Rodale’s Organic Life
Image source: same as above