Highway Medians are a pet peeve of mine. Every time I drive down the highway, and especially when they are in the process of being mowed, I think, "What a waste!"
Is it just me? Doesn't it seem like a lot of acreage to just plant it in grass? I understand the mentality in planting the medians. The vegetation helps to hold the soil and, to some degree, slows the rate of runoff. Also, there is some carbon fixing going on due to the lack of tillage of the soil. In my home state, they have a very successful and beautiful program for planting wildflowers along the highway. Oh, that's right.....I can't eat most wildflowers. In fact, most of the wildflowers being planted aren't wild (native) in western NC.
So, my initial thought is that the medians could be used in a number of ways. One idea is for each county to rent out parts of highway medians to local CSAs (community supported agriculture programs). Another idea is to use the medians to grow "commodity crops," such as wheat, dryland rice, etc. This option would mean minimal farm labor presence in the medians, which would seem to be safer. The harvest would require only a few swipes of the combine. I wrestle with that whole idea, because I don't want to be a fan of monoculture. However, it might have a place in making something useful out of these otherwise unused areas.
As I've said, I don't have all the answers. So, here is one of my questions/concerns in converting the medians into growing space. Primarily, runoff pollution would have to be addressed. Soil is a decent filter, but that's not it's intended purpose. What level of pollution would be acceptable for the given crop? Or, would it be better not to grow food crops, but rather ornamental crops for the landscaping industry?
What are your thoughts?
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