Bianca Cederberg

Hey permies,

A question which has been troubling me lately...Realized I could ask others what they think instead of let it get all weird and scary in my head.

Unfortunately, I live next to a main road. A road which has long been a main road. It is now a highway. As you all know, lead is no longer used as an additive in gasoline. (THANK YOU, Clair Cameron Patterson!!)
But since it was in gasoline for quite some time, and lead is lead for a really damn long time (we're talking over a hundred thousand years here), is it not strange to think that lead particles have flown about and landed on the soil in the garden? Plants take up both good and bad things. So, I guess that in the vegetables and berries we are eating here, we are also taking in some lead? (Yay!)

What do you think? It's fine if you just say 'yeah, probably!'. I prefer information over ignorance.

It depends on what your local available options are. I would go for any kind of straw. Where I live the farmers usually have a few leftover hayballs leftover they cannot sell, so I have gotten some for free. Conventionally grown, unfortunately, but I think most of the poison has washed away in the rain before being placed in our garden. Best to get real straw - without seeds - if you hate grass, although chances of germination are probably low if you throw down a thick enough layer. Have you seen any of Ruth Stout's videos? She tells us alll about the benefits of straw mulch. Keeps the ground soft, moist, protected from trampling, keeps weeds at bay, the whole shebang. So it can be worth it.

Some kind of black fabric tarp could also work for you. Though the couch grass might still make its way through!
You could also spend a little more and make it pretty - get shitloads of newspapers and make a thick layer. Then cover with some barkmulch. Makes it look real fresh and earthy!