Hi fellow OG's. My partner and I just began our second organic garden, the first at our new house. Groundhogs are a serious problem here, so I have adopted some galvanized steel sheeting that the previous owners used around their garden, and buried it 6" deep around the perimeter of the plot. This allows for 1 1/2 feet above ground as well. I was just told by a friend that galvanized steel contains zinc and is toxic. Is it toxic in the capacity that I am using it? Will the zinc leach into the soil and contaminate the garden? If so, does anyone have any alternative suggestions?
What you need is something that is basicly inert. Two things come to mind. One is the rubber lining you get for garden ponds. The other is of course plastic sheeting. But not the stuff you buy for screen porches. What you would need is called Root Barrier. This is 30 mil plastic used to stop invasive plants from spreading via rizomes.
Here's a site with some facts about zinc, and here's a little bit about it in soil:
Most of the zinc in soil stays bound to soil particles and does not dissolve in water. It builds up in fish and other organisms, but it does not build up in plants.
It sounds like the pollution from zinc that is most troublesome is airborne particles from mining and industrial use:
You could also get galvanized chicken wire and put it 6 or 8 inches down. Much less zinc to deal with, it won't corrode, and it will stop burrowing animals.
---------------------- Life goes on within you and without you - George Harrison
Posts: 554 | Location: desperately protecting 2 acres from the critters, coastal California | Registered: February 11, 2002
