if salt would be a danger. Wilbur responded that lead from years of automobile
exposure would be a greater danger, suggesting that flowers be planted there
instead.
Personally, I think the most beautiful plants are those you can eat as well, so
for many years, I have planted edible fruit bushes in the boulevards along my
corner house: blueberries, black currents, red currents, etc. Since going
through a wild foraging phase, I have also eaten the flowers and new shoots of
day lilies (be careful here, since some hybrids are not edible). There have
been several considerations.
First, height. In Minneapolis at least, no bushes higher than 3 feet are
allowed, because they obstruct the sight lines of automobiles. Hight
restrictions are lower near the intersection itself.
Second, the most obvious source of contamination (though not the most
dangerous) would be from passing dogs. It is highly recommended that you rinse
off whatever you plan to eat. If it is a high-traffic location, you may see
some problems relating to nitrogen excess, like those brown spots in the lawns
we have all seen.
Third, you probably don't need to be a socialist to plant on the boulevard, but
you had better at least be a generous capitalist, since people walking by will
certainly harvest some stuff without ringing your doorbell. Most of our
blueberries get munched by neighbors; I'm absolutely fine with that, but some
people may feel less inclined to share the "fruits of their labors."
Last, it certainly would be a good idea to get the soil tested, especially for
lead. These fruits are not something I give to my young grandchildren, who
would be the most at-risk, but I certainly have eaten them myself. I have
noted absolutely no physical consequences to eating this stuff, but I must
admit that the usual consequences of lead poisoning are usually loss of mental
capacity. I don't have the hubris to self-diagnosis dementia, so I will leave
that to someone administering the test the president took ("person, woman, man,
camera, TV"). I might also note that, at age 74 (the same age as The Donald),
there might be other sources for that as well. So it would be inconclusive at
best. Conclusion: get your soil tested, and maybe your short-term memory as
well.
Peace, Charley Underwood