I am thinking of using raised beds for my garden this year, I would like to
put several in before the start of the growing season. My question is what
to make them out of?

1. I could use untreated lumber, but then I need a way of preserving them.
Any thoughts or ideas on this? Are there non-toxic paints or stains I can
use?

2. I could use treated lumber, I think the newer kinds are arsenic free.
Are there chemicals in this kind of wood that may leech into the soil?

3. What about that artificial wood decking material that I see at Lowe's and
Home Depot? Would be expensive, but wouldn't last a long time?

In article , "William Henson"
wrote:

I am thinking of using raised beds for my garden this year, I would like to
put several in before the start of the growing season. My question is what
to make them out of?

1. I could use untreated lumber, but then I need a way of preserving them.
Any thoughts or ideas on this? Are there non-toxic paints or stains I can
use?

2. I could use treated lumber, I think the newer kinds are arsenic free.
Are there chemicals in this kind of wood that may leech into the soil?

3. What about that artificial wood decking material that I see at Lowe's and
Home Depot? Would be expensive, but wouldn't last a long time?

Arsenic is no longer used, & the effects of leeching copper have not (as
yet) been reported to be harmful, though excesses of copper in soil COULD
be a bad thing if it built up enough, & can injure fish or retard some
kinds of plants if it built up a lot. I've not seen any reports that the
copper ever will build up a lot, but sometimes this kind of information
arrives long after a product has been marketed.

I made some raised beds from non-arsenic heat-pressed 4X4 wood, but I
always hated the look, which always just looked like lumber got laid out
in in the garden. The fake wood made out of recycled milkbottles will last
eternally, but unless painted it always looks like what it was made of.
But then I want my gardens to look woodsy & natural; lumber might look
all right laid out in some gardens. I've seen railroad ties used to
not-too-ugly effect in a few gardens as retainer walls & raised beds, but
I wouldn't use them, & those which are recycled & cheap have toxic
creosote on them. Clean railroad ties are available; they're not treated
wood usually, they are oily conifer wood so thick (rough 8x8s?) & they
last a very long time, probably outlast you & me even with decay occuring
on the side against soil.

But I soon regretted using the 4x4s because I couldn't see them as in any
manner aesthetic. In one location I was able to attach the tops of fence
pickets as facing, to create a container-look, an improvement but still
not my ideal. Most of the 4x4s have by now been replaced with stackable
bricks, which I should've used to begin with. The last remaining length of
the 4x4 barriers will be replaced soon. The stackable bricks are nice
enough to be permanent features, but at the same time highly maleable if a
raised bed needs to be moved or altered in some way later on. If I were
rich I'd use one or another kind of squared-off natural quarreyed rock
which is less commonplace than stackable bricks from any old
home-improvement chain, but for something affordable & highly adaptable,
the bricks can be both functional & attractive, & things like rockroses
dangle off brick ledges very nicely, moss can be induced to grow on them
if you whip up some moss & buttermilk to "paint" the brick surfaces, so
over time they meld into a garden setting rather than standing out like
major artificiality. Even though they're not cemented, I've never had them
shift on me at all, & I walk on them & use them for garden-edge seating.

I prepared some staggered raised areas, turning a slope into terraces, by
stacking turf upside-down behind the stacked bricks, the turf obtained
from previously lawned areas that I some into gardens or flagstoned areas.
I placed layers of paper or cardboard on top of the stacks of turf, then
hid the paper & cardboard under a topcoating of sterile fully composted
steer manure which looks like loam thus rather attractive even with
nothing yet planted, OR with smallest grade of bark which can later be
worked into soil as part of the organic ingredient. The paper barrier
keeps the grass from growing through so that the turf just rots into
compost; weeds will not germinate in a sterile topcoating; & the following
year (or sooner) the stacked turf has sunk down a bit because fully
composted; even the paper barrier eaten by worms; & it's all weed-free,
grass-free, & ready to plant. Woody shrubs or young trees can be planted
even before the stacked turf is all fully composted as the turf-layers
already have lots of soil, & a big hole can be made through the turf-stack
& filled with good soil & finished compost so that the shrubs' roots
aren't in the midst of any unfinished compost.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"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/

In article , "William Henson"
wrote:

I am thinking of using raised beds for my garden this year, I would like to
put several in before the start of the growing season. My question is what
to make them out of?

1. I could use untreated lumber, but then I need a way of preserving them.
Any thoughts or ideas on this? Are there non-toxic paints or stains I can
use?

2. I could use treated lumber, I think the newer kinds are arsenic free.
Are there chemicals in this kind of wood that may leech into the soil?

3. What about that artificial wood decking material that I see at Lowe's and
Home Depot? Would be expensive, but wouldn't last a long time?

Arsenic is no longer used, & the effects of leeching copper have not (as
yet) been reported to be harmful, though excesses of copper in soil COULD
be a bad thing if it built up enough, & can injure fish or retard some
kinds of plants if it built up a lot. I've not seen any reports that the
copper ever will build up a lot, but sometimes this kind of information
arrives long after a product has been marketed.

I made some raised beds from non-arsenic heat-pressed 4X4 wood, but I
always hated the look, which always just looked like lumber got laid out
in in the garden. The fake wood made out of recycled milkbottles will last
eternally, but unless painted it always looks like what it was made of.
But then I want my gardens to look woodsy & natural; lumber might look
all right laid out in some gardens. I've seen railroad ties used to
not-too-ugly effect in a few gardens as retainer walls & raised beds, but
I wouldn't use them, & those which are recycled & cheap have toxic
creosote on them. Clean railroad ties are available; they're not treated
wood usually, they are oily conifer wood so thick (rough 8x8s?) & they
last a very long time, probably outlast you & me even with decay occuring
on the side against soil.

But I soon regretted using the 4x4s because I couldn't see them as in any
manner aesthetic. In one location I was able to attach the tops of fence
pickets as facing, to create a container-look, an improvement but still
not my ideal. Most of the 4x4s have by now been replaced with stackable
bricks, which I should've used to begin with. The last remaining length of
the 4x4 barriers will be replaced soon. The stackable bricks are nice
enough to be permanent features, but at the same time highly maleable if a
raised bed needs to be moved or altered in some way later on. If I were
rich I'd use one or another kind of squared-off natural quarreyed rock
which is less commonplace than stackable bricks from any old
home-improvement chain, but for something affordable & highly adaptable,
the bricks can be both functional & attractive, & things like rockroses
dangle off brick ledges very nicely, moss can be induced to grow on them
if you whip up some moss & buttermilk to "paint" the brick surfaces, so
over time they meld into a garden setting rather than standing out like
major artificiality. Even though they're not cemented, I've never had them
shift on me at all, & I walk on them & use them for garden-edge seating.

I prepared some staggered raised areas, turning a slope into terraces, by
stacking turf upside-down behind the stacked bricks, the turf obtained
from previously lawned areas that I some into gardens or flagstoned areas.
I placed layers of paper or cardboard on top of the stacks of turf, then
hid the paper & cardboard under a topcoating of sterile fully composted
steer manure which looks like loam thus rather attractive even with
nothing yet planted, OR with smallest grade of bark which can later be
worked into soil as part of the organic ingredient. The paper barrier
keeps the grass from growing through so that the turf just rots into
compost; weeds will not germinate in a sterile topcoating; & the following
year (or sooner) the stacked turf has sunk down a bit because fully
composted; even the paper barrier eaten by worms; & it's all weed-free,
grass-free, & ready to plant. Woody shrubs or young trees can be planted
even before the stacked turf is all fully composted as the turf-layers
already have lots of soil, & a big hole can be made through the turf-stack
& filled with good soil & finished compost so that the shrubs' roots
aren't in the midst of any unfinished compost.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"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/

"William Henson" wrote:

1. I could use untreated lumber, but then I need a way of preserving them.
Any thoughts or ideas on this? Are there non-toxic paints or stains I can
use?

Cuprinol (copper napthenate) wood preservative (the green one) has been
used for generations in green houses and the fruit and vegetable
industry.

http://www.cuprinol.co.uk/webapp/wcs.../servlet/CUPUK
/Which_Product/Pdfs/wpg.pdf

2. I could use treated lumber, I think the newer kinds are arsenic free.
Are there chemicals in this kind of wood that may leech into the soil?

The new woods are said to be safe. I would season the wood first by
letting it sit in the wind and rain in a lawn area first for a week or
two. If it doesn't rain, you will have to spray it with the garden hose.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

"William Henson" wrote:

1. I could use untreated lumber, but then I need a way of preserving them.
Any thoughts or ideas on this? Are there non-toxic paints or stains I can
use?

Cuprinol (copper napthenate) wood preservative (the green one) has been
used for generations in green houses and the fruit and vegetable
industry.

http://www.cuprinol.co.uk/webapp/wcs.../servlet/CUPUK
/Which_Product/Pdfs/wpg.pdf

2. I could use treated lumber, I think the newer kinds are arsenic free.
Are there chemicals in this kind of wood that may leech into the soil?

The new woods are said to be safe. I would season the wood first by
letting it sit in the wind and rain in a lawn area first for a week or
two. If it doesn't rain, you will have to spray it with the garden hose.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

"William Henson" wrote in message
...
I am thinking of using raised beds for my garden this year, I would like
to
put several in before the start of the growing season. My question is
what
to make them out of?

1. I could use untreated lumber, but then I need a way of preserving
them.
Any thoughts or ideas on this? Are there non-toxic paints or stains I can
use?


If you can get the right species you can use untreated timber and it will
last in contact with the soil. There is no point in me mentioning names as
you proabably cannot get them unless you are in rural Australia, in which
case you probably wouldn't be asking the question. Around here they do not
treat fence posts and they last 20-30 years in the ground, see if this is
done in your neighbourhood and if you can get your planks cut from the same
timber.

David

"William Henson" wrote:

1. I could use untreated lumber, but then I need a way of preserving them.
Any thoughts or ideas on this? Are there non-toxic paints or stains I can
use?

Cuprinol (copper napthenate) wood preservative (the green one) has been
used for generations in green houses and the fruit and vegetable
industry.

http://www.cuprinol.co.uk/webapp/wcs.../servlet/CUPUK
/Which_Product/Pdfs/wpg.pdf

2. I could use treated lumber, I think the newer kinds are arsenic free.
Are there chemicals in this kind of wood that may leech into the soil?

The new woods are said to be safe. I would season the wood first by
letting it sit in the wind and rain in a lawn area first for a week or
two. If it doesn't rain, you will have to spray it with the garden hose.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

"William Henson" wrote in message
...
I am thinking of using raised beds for my garden this year, I would like
to
put several in before the start of the growing season. My question is
what
to make them out of?

1. I could use untreated lumber, but then I need a way of preserving
them.
Any thoughts or ideas on this? Are there non-toxic paints or stains I can
use?


If you can get the right species you can use untreated timber and it will
last in contact with the soil. There is no point in me mentioning names as
you proabably cannot get them unless you are in rural Australia, in which
case you probably wouldn't be asking the question. Around here they do not
treat fence posts and they last 20-30 years in the ground, see if this is
done in your neighbourhood and if you can get your planks cut from the same
timber.

David

"William Henson" wrote in message
...
I am thinking of using raised beds for my garden this year, I would like
to
put several in before the start of the growing season. My question is
what
to make them out of?

1. I could use untreated lumber, but then I need a way of preserving
them.
Any thoughts or ideas on this? Are there non-toxic paints or stains I can
use?


If you can get the right species you can use untreated timber and it will
last in contact with the soil. There is no point in me mentioning names as
you proabably cannot get them unless you are in rural Australia, in which
case you probably wouldn't be asking the question. Around here they do not
treat fence posts and they last 20-30 years in the ground, see if this is
done in your neighbourhood and if you can get your planks cut from the same
timber.

David

I am thinking of using raised beds for my garden this year, I would like to
put several in before the start of the growing season. My question is what
to make them out of?

I went to a local firm that makes concrete blocks, and bought
"defective" blocks for fifty cents apiece. With slight cracks, they
wouldn't be safe for building foundations, but they work fine for
raised beds. I used two courses (layers). among other things, that
provides a nice bench around the bed to sit on when I cultivate, pick
lettuce, etc.

vince norris

If you have Cedar in your area use to logs cut to length, drill holes and
stake. Cedar will last for years. We have dead Cedars on our farm and I use
them for steps, raised beds, so forth. Another idea is to use stone, instead of
wood.

Mel

If you have Cedar in your area use to logs cut to length, drill holes and
stake. Cedar will last for years. We have dead Cedars on our farm and I use
them for steps, raised beds, so forth. Another idea is to use stone, instead of
wood.

Mel

(Melinda) wrote:

If you have Cedar in your area use to logs cut to length, drill holes and
stake. Cedar will last for years. We have dead Cedars on our farm and I use
them for steps, raised beds, so forth. Another idea is to use stone, instead
of wood.

What is called cedar varies considerably across the country. Here in
the East, Virginia Juniper is called Red Cedar. It is OK but locust is
better. Most fence posts here are locust. There are no native cedars
in the US. The Cedar of Lebanon and Blue Atlas are true cedars but are
not native. The others are a variety of different things. I have an
Alaska Yellow Cedar that is actually Chamaecyparis nootkatensis.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA, USA
Owned '67,'68,'71,'74,'79,'81,'87,'93,'95 & '02 Volvos.
The '67,'74,'79,'87,'95 and '02 through European Delivery.
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/volvo.html

(Melinda) wrote:

If you have Cedar in your area use to logs cut to length, drill holes and
stake. Cedar will last for years. We have dead Cedars on our farm and I use
them for steps, raised beds, so forth. Another idea is to use stone, instead
of wood.

What is called cedar varies considerably across the country. Here in
the East, Virginia Juniper is called Red Cedar. It is OK but locust is
better. Most fence posts here are locust. There are no native cedars
in the US. The Cedar of Lebanon and Blue Atlas are true cedars but are
not native. The others are a variety of different things. I have an
Alaska Yellow Cedar that is actually Chamaecyparis nootkatensis.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA, USA
Owned '67,'68,'71,'74,'79,'81,'87,'93,'95 & '02 Volvos.
The '67,'74,'79,'87,'95 and '02 through European Delivery.
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/volvo.html