Is it safe to plant vegetables in the blue 55 gallon barrels if they previously contained white vinegar?
Question:
Is it safe to plant vegetables in the blue 55 gallon barrels if they previously contained white vinegar? Or will the vinegar kill the plants? The barrels have been thoroughly washed.
Answer:
I don’t think the previous presence of vinegar presents any immediate threat to the plants themselves. Many Extension resources across the country still recommend these barrels as planter possibilities–the primary concern of those who hesitate is whether the material is food grade because you don’t want anything leaching into your soil if you will be eating fruits and vegetables grown there. While it’s certainly possible that prolonged exposure to acetic acid might have some impact on leaching, I am unable to find any data-driven studies to lean one way or the other on that question. As long as you have a food grade barrel, the risk is probably pretty low, though I can’t guarantee it’s zero.
Happy gardening.