Hi all,
I have what may sound like a silly question. I am putting together a couple
raised beds for a veggie garden and I would like to construct the bed to
conserve water as much as possible. I know that you can buy the super
absorbent polymers too add to soil that will soak up the water and then
release it again when the soil dries out. Granted, these are for smaller
flower pots, but I don't see any reason why the concept wouldn't work on a
larger scale. Unfortunately, given the size of the raised beds, using these
advertised materials would be cost prohibitive. So, I was thinking that
disposable diapers also contain super absorbent polymers that are not as
expensive as the garden variety. I was thinking that I could rip the
batting out of the diapers and mix it into the soil.

My concern is that 1) the diaper polymers may release undesired chemicals
into the soil that would either harm the plants or get into the food, and 2)
the type of polymer in the diaper is such that it would not release the
moisture readily.

Does anyone know of any data on this subject? I can't believe that I am the
first to have thought about it. Any other alternatives to consider?
Thanks.

Greg




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