I want to make garden edging out of 3-4" diameter logs, 8 to 10" long that are
placed vertically in the ground. I don't want to buy plastic or pressure
treated edging that I have seen at the home centers... What type of tree cut
up in this manner would last the longest in the ground, untreated, that is
native to the central NY area?
Thanks in advance!
tom

Probably Juniperus virginiana.

Dave

"TomM in NY" wrote in message
...
I want to make garden edging out of 3-4" diameter logs, 8 to 10" long
that are
placed vertically in the ground. I don't want to buy plastic or pressure
treated edging that I have seen at the home centers... What type of tree
cut
up in this manner would last the longest in the ground, untreated, that is
native to the central NY area?
Thanks in advance!
tom

In article ,
(TomM in NY) wrote:

I want to make garden edging out of 3-4" diameter logs, 8 to 10" long
that are
placed vertically in the ground. I don't want to buy plastic or pressure
treated edging that I have seen at the home centers... What type of tree cut
up in this manner would last the longest in the ground, untreated, that is
native to the central NY area?
Thanks in advance!
tom

Northern white cedar. Highly rot resistant woods from other regions
include Western red cedar, Southern cypress, & Redwood.

But if you made an edging out of a wood that does rat within a few years,
the types of fungus that interact where the wood touches the soil are
healthful for the garden, & ultra-essential for some kinds of plants like
vacciniums or dogwoods; plus it provides habitat for edible or just
mushrooms & decorative turkeytails which don't do as well on rot-resistant
cedar. If the edging is easy enough to make, it can be replaced about
every four or five years, whenever the previous edging has just about
turned to good soil amendment. I have made edging out of fat birch limbs &
quite enjoyed watching them rot away, & the plantlife loved it.

-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"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

"TomM in NY" wrote in message
...
I want to make garden edging out of 3-4" diameter logs, 8 to 10" long
that are
placed vertically in the ground. I don't want to buy plastic or pressure
treated edging that I have seen at the home centers... What type of tree
cut
up in this manner would last the longest in the ground, untreated, that is
native to the central NY area?
Thanks in advance!
tom

If you can get it, osage orange is probably unbeatable. It grows wild around
here although not in great numbers. It is not what I'd call an beautiful
tree but the wood has properties that are quite outstanding.

http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/osage-orange.htm

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

"TomM in NY" wrote in message
...
I want to make garden edging out of 3-4" diameter logs, 8 to 10" long
that are
placed vertically in the ground. I don't want to buy plastic or pressure
treated edging that I have seen at the home centers... What type of tree
cut
up in this manner would last the longest in the ground, untreated, that is
native to the central NY area?
Thanks in advance!
tom

While not specifically native to the NY area, black locust or Robinia
pseudoacacia is an extremely durable wood with well known properties for
long term contact with soil. It is used extensively for fence posts. It is
native to large parts of the eastern seaboard to the Appalachian Mts and
into parts of the midwest and is very commonly grown throughout all other
areas of the country.

http://www.blacklocust.org/whylocust.html

pam - gardengal

On 26 May 2004 19:50:28 GMT, (TomM in NY) wrote:

I want to make garden edging out of 3-4" diameter logs, 8 to 10" long that are
placed vertically in the ground. I don't want to buy plastic or pressure
treated edging that I have seen at the home centers... What type of tree cut
up in this manner would last the longest in the ground, untreated, that is
native to the central NY area?

Locust -- Should be fairly common in Central NY. We've got loads of
'em in the eastern part of the state.

30 years ago I pulled telephone lines made with locust & cedar poles
before treating them was an option. The locust poles showed no signs
of decay after 40 years in the ground.

Check with a rural Agway or feed store to see where some farmer has a
stand of them he uses for fence posts.

Jim

Eastern recedar (Juniperus virginiana) - the red heartwood will last more or
less indefinitely. And the darned things are everywhere up your way - look
in old farm fields let go in the 1920-1940's

--
Mike LaMana, MS
Heartwood Consulting Services, LLC
Toms River, NJ
www.HeartwoodConsulting.net



"TomM in NY" wrote in message
...
I want to make garden edging out of 3-4" diameter logs, 8 to 10" long
that are
placed vertically in the ground. I don't want to buy plastic or pressure
treated edging that I have seen at the home centers... What type of tree
cut
up in this manner would last the longest in the ground, untreated, that is
native to the central NY area?
Thanks in advance!
tom