Growing food near heavy traffic

radegund asked 16 years ago

Hi Gerry, I’ve been trying to get an answer to this for ages, but nobody can tell me for definite: How safe is food grown near a busy road? I’m thinking of my local community garden (on the SCR, Dublin 8) and my own back garden (on a main road in Dublin 12).

1 Answers

Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
It is much safer to grow food crops near a road nowadays than some years ago, because the lead has been taken from petrol. Even so, there is still traffic smoke and hydrocarbon smog that descends on plants as a black film, easily seen on city street trees in autumn.

Best to be away from the traffic obviously but still probably okay, but with the precaution to peel fruit and vegetables.  lettuce might not be great, for instance.

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