Strawberries like rust, don't they?

[gardening_gal]

Clue: The answer (please) is yes, they really don't care.

Seriously though, I have just made a planter out of the lid of our old oil drum style barbecue. I screwed two off-cuts of decking on for a leg at either side and lined it with weed supressant membrane, before adding compost and strawberry plants. It wouldn't win any stylish designer awards but it's just the job for where it is.

The lid was in quite decent condition save for a small area on the outside corner edge which has started to rust.

It's not much at the moment but I'm now second guessing myself as to whether I should have used it or not, in case the rust just escalates quickly and affects the soil/plants?

[SusieG]

Just goggled it GG - couldn't see anything conclusive about having too many adverse affects - unless you were eating all your grown produce from that one area ..... Anyway, you said you'd lined it with membrane first, so you'd think that'd help ....

It could possibly affect the strawberries if the amount of rust to growing area was large/long term contact, apparently ....

Perhaps not much help to you .....

[FB.]

The red-brown tint of most soils is caused by naturally occurring iron.

[Bigmallly]

I would think it will add minerals to the compost.

[veggiechicken]

They say that burying a rusty nail beside a hydrangea will turn the flowers blue.
Maybe you'll grow blue strawberries like the ones they sell on Eb@y

[Jay-ell]

Well they shouldn't suffer from iron deficiency.