Question from Lynn

Hi,

I am considering growing fruit/vegetables/herbs etc (consumables) in stainless steel containers (304 grade).

I was wondering is this advisable given that stainless steel contains ‘leachable’ toxins? And has there been studies done on this before?

Regards

George

Brisbane, Australia

Debra’s Answer

There are no studies that I could find, but I will tell you that logically I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Metals leach from stainless steel with contact time. Even a few hours of cooking will leach metals into food, so continuous contact for weeks and months on end could certainly result in leaching metals into the soil that would then uptake into the plant and get into the fruit or vegetable.