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raised vegetable bed with treated lumber (Barrier ideas)

raised vegetable bed with treated lumber (Barrier ideas)


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Old 05-05-14, 02:05 PM
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raised vegetable bed with treated lumber (Barrier ideas)

what should I use as a barrier between treated lumber and soil for a raised vegetable bed was told not to use tar it has bad stuff that will leach into the soil and not to use plastic cause it will trap moisture between plastic and wood causing it to rot faster any ideas??? thanks
 
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Old 05-05-14, 02:17 PM
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I used 1/4" thick sheets of plastic to line my raised bed garden but the wood is a framework with the plastic forming the bulk of the side area. When I've done low rise beds from 2x10 lumber I line them with galvanized steel flashing.
 
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Old 05-07-14, 04:02 PM
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but won't the flashing cause the same effect as the plastic holding moisture between it and the wood causing it to rot out faster?
 
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Old 05-27-14, 07:33 PM
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I've done a bit of research on this subject. Some folks say that treated wood, if left in the sun for a year or so, will basically leach all bad stuff out of it. Some say that to put a plastic barrier in is bad, that the plastic will leach worse chemicals than what is in the treated wood.

I use just untreated douglas fir wood. It lasts for several years. I always figured that by the time the boards rotted, that the ground should be replaced anyway. I make my boxes about 8' by 3' and use 2x12 lumber. Works great for me and I don't have to worry about any of the chemicals that I am trying to get away from.

Honestly, I'm not sure how much difference any of this makes anyhow. It's good to make the effort to grow healthy veggies and such, but with all of the toxins that we get in our meats, and other store food that we have to buy I don't know if making a great effort to keep the growing free from chemical leaching makes too big of a difference. Of course, everything helps though, which I suppose is why I don't use treated lumber in my beds.
 
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Old 06-20-14, 02:50 AM
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I am getting ready to do one myself. It only needs to be as deep as the sides of your boarder you are building. I am using boards that are 6in or 8in wide. I am also putting down the tarp under the dirt.
 
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Old 06-20-14, 03:03 AM
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Why a tarp under the dirt? You'll stop earthworm and nutrients from reaching your plants? Too much hype on pressure treated lumber hazards. Newer ACQ lumber doesn't contain cupric arsenate as did the older stuff. You may die if you ate a 2 x 4 in pt, but for a liner of a garden bed, the dangers are miniscule. Line the sides if you need a warm and fuzzy, but leave the bottom open.
 
 

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