On Wed, 28 Mar 2007 15:01:14 -0400, Greg wrote:

On 28 Mar 2007 10:51:03 -0700, "Jonathan"
wrote:

I am building two large organic vegetable box gardens - 16 by 4 ft.
and about 3 ft deep.
I was wondering about how concerned I should be about slowing the wood
rotting over time. I am using redwood. I was thinking of lining the
interior with plastic, but I don't want it to leach anything toxic
into the soil. Do I need to be consider a lining, and if so, is there
a kind of plastic that is recommended?

I have gone through the same considerations that you are doing. I
decided to stick with inexpensive and untreated wood on the basis that
it will take a few years to fall apart anyway. It is very likely that
I will be changing my garden plans at least every two years, so that
doesn't matter to me. I don't want a garden box that will outlast my
use for it, and be unnecessarily expensive.

Mine is made of some clean lumber, of several species, that was left
over from a Rotary Club picnic shelter project. There are three 12
foot x 3 foot boxes, 24 inches deep, surrounded by chicken wire (I
have a lot of yard bunnies).

I expect the wood to show weathering and rot after the second season,
and then become wood for the bonfire.

Greg

I use leftover wood from construction sites. Even common douglas fir will
last for a few years. I have a couple of planters 5-6 years old with no
problems yet. A little rotting in some places. (Dry sunny socal ) When
it is too decomposed to hold itself together, break it up and burn the big
pieces.

stonerfish