weeds next to roadside?

[Catherine896]

Whats the closest you pick weeds to a road?

Obviously Im not looking at a 2ft distance to passing cars! But on my walk today I was looking for weeds and have grabbed a couple to identify them in pics, but the furthest away they were would of been was about 20ft.

Ive got a load of seeds coming through the post to grow my own but still want to know the weeds that are safe for me to grab when Im out.

So whats the closest you would do?

Ive got a few in my garden too, but foxes go in my garden every night, would it be OK to wash the weeds or should I not feed those ones?

One more question (for now lol) are there any weeds where you can only feed 1 part of it and have to avoid the other part, flower/leaves etc?

Hope that makes sense!

Thanks alot

[x.froggy.x]

It is usually recomended not to collect weeds that are close to the road, as they usually absorb exhaust fumes.

[Catherine896]

Yeah I know to avoid ones that are close to the road, thats what I mean, whats the closest that would be classed as 'safe'? The ones Ive picked today are just to try and identify some.

Thanks

[leggy]

What kind of rd. I go down the lanes near me and get loads of nice weed right next to the rd. But then theres hardly any cars. The main rd they would have to b a long way from the rd. Your garden weeds should be ok with a wash

[Catherine896]

Quite busy roads near me unfortunately. There is one area that should have a fair amount of weeds that is quite far from the road, Ill have a look around there tomorrow.

Thanks for the help

Also, when growing your own, do you wait 'til the weeds are quite big for feeding, or can you use them when quite small still?

Thanks again

[purplepixie]

You can always collect the seeds from the weeds near the road:0) saves you money.
Also be very careful not to pick ragwort around roads, as there seems to be more and more of it around, and its highly toxic. It can be mistaken for the dandelion family.

[Catherine896]

Thanks

[Grond]

I wouldn't pick weeds within 50 feet minimum of a busy road! The problem is a lot of the heavy metals and other toxins which the fumes cause would only accumulate slowly in your tortoise, so would not necessarily cause immediate problems, but could long term!

Roads with odd cars down them are fine, but roads with constant traffic.....computer says noooooooo!