If you are concerned you can always build your own with 2-inch thick lumber...

Rodney

Thanks, Rodney. I really just want to grow some herbs and maybe some lettuce on my porch, so just a few small containers.

"Organic" and "non-toxic" are not necessarily the same thing. (Actually, there are plenty of naturally occurring deathly poisons, which you'd have to call "organic".) Lots of materials are non-toxic, but might not be categorized as "organic". Plastics with recycling numbers of 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 are pretty non-toxic, as long as they aren't heated (as in cooking). #3 = PVC is a recognized human carcinogen, and does bad stuff hormonally. Wood is probably OK, as long as it wasn't treated with something toxic. Wood leaches a lot, but as long as it wasn't treated with something bad, won't leach toxically. That being said, there is some concern that certain kinds of cedar and pine are not really that nice, chemically.

Thanks for answering. I do know the difference between organic and non-toxic. I tried to make it clear by saying non-toxic containers and only referring to the vegetables as being organic. I'm hoping there will be some organic gardeners here who have found containers they are comfortable using.

You could try terra cotta pots. Or glazed ceramic. Neither should have ingredients or harmful particles that could leach into the soil mix. And Grow bags are a possibility.....I'm sure they are not 100% natural materials but they should pose less of risk than a plastic or resin pot.

Just an aside, but it is difficult to be dedicatedly organic and grow in containers :-) The restrictions and requirements of container gardening preclude the use of most organic fertilizers unless they are fully water soluble. And there are not many of them and most don't offer much other than a modest NPK. But since herbs need minimal fertilization for the most part and something like fish emulsion should work well enough for the lettuce, you should get by OK. But it could get trickier if you were to get more involved/extensive in your container growing.

Thanks, Garden Gal. Great information. I've never wanted to use containers but my fenced backyard is all shade and my non-fenced front yard is all deer.

When you said "...well, plastic..." I assumed to were being skeptical about plastic as an "organic" constituent, and that you might not be comfortable using it for that reason. No way is plastic organic, in that it comes from mixing chemicals together but, of course, you don't eat the plastic.

Be aware that terra cotta clays and ceramic glazes are sometimes known to leach lead, so they may be "organic", but they might not be nice. So be choosy. If you don't know the chemical history of the pot, I suspect that plastic could be a healthier option.

The lead issue is seldom a concern when planting in a container.....it generally requires contact with an acidic substance to cause the leaching, so the concern amplifies if one is using these sort of containers to actually serve food, not grow it :-)

To be honest, the type of container would be a non-issue for me. Any sort of "contamination" that might be present from the container material would be so infinitesimal that it would not be detectable. And likely nothing more than what one would encounter growing directly in the ground.........plastic particles are everywhere!! As are all manner of various heavy metals.

My philosophy is to pick your battles :-) Just focus on keeping synthetic ferts and chemical pesticides away from your organic growing and you wll already be ahead of the game.

For herbs and lettuce, modified half-gallon drink cartons come to mind (milk, soy, fruit juice, etc.). Might be colorful.

I also wouldn't be overly concerned with the container, but if you're that anxious, how about growing in a natural untreated willow basket?

Thanks for all your answers. I'm surprised containers are such a non-issue for organic gardening. Guess I'll stick with unglazed clay pots.

What makes a milk carton waterproof is mainly polyethylene (that's #2). That's been considered to be a pretty non-toxic plastic, but again, sure isn't "organic". You don't find polyethylene growing on trees. Now, that being said, new research is calling into some question the degree to which is it truly benign. But if you're going to store your milk in it, you can't be too upset about growing your foods in it.

BTW, it's not just the glaze in clay pots that can leach lead.

Oh, no. I didn't know that about clay. This is exactly why I haven't tried growing food in containers.