raised garden bed materials


  #1  
Old 05-14-16, 11:30 AM
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raised garden bed materials

Hi,

thinking about building a raised garden bed but read about chemicals in pressure-treated wood.

We'd like to organically grow, but there's no point if we get chemically-laden wood that seeps into the soil.

What kind of wood should I use, and where can I get it? Are there options available at home depot or lowes or your other typical hardware store?
 
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Old 05-14-16, 12:13 PM
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Western Red Cedar is a good choice for this as it is fairly decay resistant without treatment. It will weather to a gray color. It will be quite a bit more expensive than PT, but I agree, PT is a poor choice for vegetable gardens. You may be able to save some money by assembling the beds from cedar fence posts as opposed to buying large cedar timbers. Or you could use cedar 2x10s and support them with lots of stakes driven into the ground so they are strong enough to hold back the soil.

Another alternative is composite landscape timbers, made from a material similar to Trex type decking. They come in hollow and solid varieties. They are not cheap either.

You may be able to get cedar at a big box but you'd be better off going to a lumber yard. You may have to order the composite timbers if you go that route.

A final alternative would be concrete retaining wall blocks. They require a bit of digging and base preparation so they stay level, but make for nice looking beds.
 
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Old 05-14-16, 01:51 PM
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Several years ago I bought some Trex planks to use as forms for a curved sidewalk. When I was done I used them for raised beds in my garden. I think they will probably outlast me.

I also have raised beds made from PT garden timbers. I think the chemical thing is way overstated. LINK
 
 

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