Phisherman wrote:
On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 10:28:34 -0700, "Russell D."
wrote:

I just got off the phone with a very helpful young man at my local
Home Depot. I was gathering info from him on the prices of
redwood, cedar and composite planking that I want to make grow
boxes from. When I mentioned to him that I was going to make grow
boxes he suggested that I use treated lumber, quickly adding, as
if he anticipated my protest, there is no longer any arsenic used
in the treating process and nothing is used that would be harmful.

I would appreciate any thoughts on this. I'm still a bit hesitant
about using treated lumber for grow boxes for vegetables but it
would sure save a lot of money if I could.

What do you think?

Russell

I would avoid using PT wood anywhere where it may touch food.
Working with PT wood is just plain nasty (the dust is not good to
breath, the wood crumbles, and it twists and turns as it slowly
dries, etc). I'm not totally against PT wood, as I built two
trellises, a park bench, and mailbox post from it.

For vegetables a good choice is cypress. You could use white oak,
cedar, redwood, teak whichever is lowest price. These are all good
outdoor woods. Before filling these with soil, line them with
galvanized metal, aluminum, copper, plastic, tile, or plastic. The
boxes should be able to drain quickly without having "wet feet" for
extended periods.

Or you could use: http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00117.asp

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5