I have been using some plastic and some terra-cota containers, and I
am thinking of building my own containers out of wood, which is
cheaper, looks more attractive and allows modular designs that are
harder to get with other materials. My main concern is about treating
the wood against decay:

1- Potting soil versus garden soil: I have been using garden soil with
remarkable success, using organic techniques that avoid hardening.
However, would garden soil make the container decay faster ?

2- Painting the container: Which paint is non-toxic for the plants and
does not accumulate toxins in the plants ? Should I paint the
container from the inside as well ?

I've heard cypress and cedar are two decay-resistent woods used for raised
beds.
debbie
"Gabriel" wrote in message
om...
I have been using some plastic and some terra-cota containers, and I
am thinking of building my own containers out of wood, which is
cheaper, looks more attractive and allows modular designs that are
harder to get with other materials. My main concern is about treating
the wood against decay:

1- Potting soil versus garden soil: I have been using garden soil with
remarkable success, using organic techniques that avoid hardening.
However, would garden soil make the container decay faster ?

2- Painting the container: Which paint is non-toxic for the plants and
does not accumulate toxins in the plants ? Should I paint the
container from the inside as well ?

Redwood is rot resistant although prices have been rising lately. Suggest a
lumberyard instead of the big box! I used Henry Asphalt Emulsion on the inside
of planters for water resistance as it's used for waterseal under grade. I
used Cabot colored oil based stain on the outside of the planters and label
suggests 3-4 years between applications whether horizontal or vertical. They
also make waterbased. http://cabotstains.com/

I have been using some plastic and some terra-cota containers, and I
am thinking of building my own containers out of wood, which is
cheaper, looks more attractive and allows modular designs that are
harder to get with other materials. My main concern is about treating
the wood against decay:

1- Potting soil versus garden soil: I have been using garden soil with
remarkable success, using organic techniques that avoid hardening.
However, would garden soil make the container decay faster ?

2- Painting the container: Which paint is non-toxic for the plants and
does not accumulate toxins in the plants ? Should I paint the
container from the inside as well ?





Name works for E-mail

In article ,
(Gabriel) wrote:

I have been using some plastic and some terra-cota containers, and I
am thinking of building my own containers out of wood, which is
cheaper, looks more attractive and allows modular designs that are
harder to get with other materials. My main concern is about treating
the wood against decay:

1- Potting soil versus garden soil: I have been using garden soil with
remarkable success, using organic techniques that avoid hardening.
However, would garden soil make the container decay faster ?

2- Painting the container: Which paint is non-toxic for the plants and
does not accumulate toxins in the plants ? Should I paint the
container from the inside as well ?


Start with cedar or white cypress which is rot resistant, & if you have a
choice of wood taken from the center of logs, that's more resistant still
(avoid at least knotty boards which are less rot resistant). Don't paint
the outsides, an oil based stain looks nicer, stains manufactured for use
in barns are best at preserving against fungus or bacterial attack of the
wood, but mainly the outside oughtn't be the problem even if not painted
at all, except the outside bottom which should undergo the same treatment
as the inside of the container.

For the inside use a thick marine paint that practically makes it
plasticized, or a rubberizing coating such as has replaced roofing tar.
Marine paint is easiest, but the best of all possibilities is to
fiberglass the inside. You can even just coat it with fiberglass resin
without bothering with the fiberglass cloth, though the fiberglass mat
would help "knit" the seams together & permit a thicker coating of resin.
There are fiberglass resin dyes so you can even choose the color, though
only a little rim above the dirt level would ever show.

Fiberglassing is so easy it takes no skill at all, or rather, it takes no
skill to fiberglass the inside of a planter where it hardly matters if it
comes out amateur looking.

-paghat

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

I am in process of building a couple of rather large planters to be placed
outside. The previous post mentioned fiberglassing the inside of your
container. Ensure that you use only epoxy if you want to waterproof it.
Polyester resins will allow moisture to penetrate into the wood and it will
rot. I plan to completely encase my planters in epoxy, including the inside of
the drain holes, and paint to provide ultraviolet protection for the epoxy.
Good luck with yours.

use redwood or cypress. they dont rot. all latex is fine for paint. I use Menards
best grade of exterior for decks and cement and it isnt flaking. the Behr stuff from
Home Depot flaked the first year I put it on. so much for the most expensive.
pffft. Ingrid

(Gabriel) wrote:

I have been using some plastic and some terra-cota containers, and I
am thinking of building my own containers out of wood, which is
cheaper, looks more attractive and allows modular designs that are
harder to get with other materials. My main concern is about treating
the wood against decay:

1- Potting soil versus garden soil: I have been using garden soil with
remarkable success, using organic techniques that avoid hardening.
However, would garden soil make the container decay faster ?

2- Painting the container: Which paint is non-toxic for the plants and
does not accumulate toxins in the plants ? Should I paint the
container from the inside as well ?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

wrote:
for raised beds I line them on the inside with plastic ... the cheap kind. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

On 26 Feb 2003 10:01:34 -0800, (Gabriel)
wrote:

I have been using some plastic and some terra-cota containers, and I
am thinking of building my own containers out of wood, which is
cheaper, looks more attractive and allows modular designs that are
harder to get with other materials. My main concern is about treating
the wood against decay:

1- Potting soil versus garden soil: I have been using garden soil with
remarkable success, using organic techniques that avoid hardening.
However, would garden soil make the container decay faster ?

2- Painting the container: Which paint is non-toxic for the plants and
does not accumulate toxins in the plants ? Should I paint the
container from the inside as well ?

use roofing tar on the inside. there is a water soluble asphaltic
roofing material which stands up very well. the OTHER thing you can
do, which i do because i have plants which sit in wood containers for
years, is to line the container with plastic, and punch holes in the
bottom. Sooner or later, wood rots. You can postpone it this way
without dealing with toxic materials.

On Fri, 07 Mar 2003 18:28:42 -0800, hermine stover
wrote:

use roofing tar on the inside.

really, use a nasty oil based product , that's good for root
development!




Regards,

tomj