Has anyone used untreated pine lumber to build a raised bed with? If you did how thick was the lumber and how long did it last?
Is there something you can paint on the pine that would make it last longer?
I sure wish my head was on straight after IKE. I could have used a bunch of those tree trunks for raised beds. Too late now.
Raised beds
Hi sunny - thanks for posting this. I used untreated cedar (2x12 boards) when I made my veggie garden last Spring. Everything is holding up great, but the wood is naturally graying. Now I'm wondering if I can sand it down (outside only) and treat it now. What would be safe?
Thanks - GB
In our area cedar is not only very hard to find but soooooooo expensive. I do hope we get some replies on how to preserve our lumber.
After much research I have discovered in 2006 there is a new treated, supposely much safer, board out called MCQ. You won't need to use stainless steel connections on it and it is not suppose to seep into the soil the way the other treated boards do.
Has anyone heard of this, used it, and know where to get it at?
Untreated lumber next to the ground will draw termites in no time.
I'm really not worried about termites. We live on several acres and our garden will be in the back 40 as the saying goes. But I do want to thank you for the advice. We also have stacks of firewood for our fireplace and if anything they too will draw termites.
to increase my planting area for my daylily obsession, i started building raised beds using treated lumber, mostly the 10 inch high ones. they have been a real lifesaver since i had to move and i took the ones i had with me to the new place and we built several larger ones to hold my plants. it would have been a nightmare to replant all those plants in the ground! so far, they are doing great. i used a good landscaping mix with mushroom compost and the plants are generally thriving. also, easier to work, weed, etc with the extra heigth. here is a pic.
tracie
Have you considered some of the new boards that are used for decking that aren't actually wood but a composite material that is supposedly impervious to termites, rot, warping, etc. It should last a lot longer than wooden boards and have no question of chemicals leaching into the soil. I don't know if it would cost more than regular wood or not. I can't remember the specific brand name, but it looks like real wood and it's not the Hardi-Plank concrete stuff.
crowellli I know just what you are talking about and the cost is about, if I remember correctly, 2 1/2 times the price of treated. I went to Home Depot today to see if they had any of those type of boards and I was very surprised to see they didn't. I'll check at Lowes again but I know the price is as high as cedar.
My dh wants to try something different so he is going to start working on them. I'll show you when we have one done.
In the meantime I found a guy who has a few 2x12x10 long cedar for only $25.00 each. I wanted to get them but my dh was against it because he thinks his way will be just as good and will last a long time. I am still going to sneak out and get those cedar boards anyway. I can always use more vegetable beds.
aggiegrl your beds are made the way I want my beds made but not with treated lumber. I am going to plant veggies in my beds but if I was just going to use them for flowers that would be the way I would go.
I'll keep everyone posted on what me make.
Thanks.
The pressure treated lumber doesn't have Arsenic anymore, and considering the regular lumber breaks down in 1-2 years due to moisture and termites, I'm gonna stick with treated wood until I get something better like a stone or plastic product.
Cement blocks work very well and you can plant in the holes, they are also economical.
My first four beds are made out of cinder blocks and cost around $60.00 for each 4 x10 bed. I put a flat block on the bottom and one more on the top to make it 12" high. But I have a big problem with fire ants making nests in the holes and boy is that concrete hot in the summer. Try leaning on them for any length of time to weed the garden! I may in the future go back to them but I will use the solid ones next time. Oh my poor back just thinking about it.
DH and I talked again tonight and decided to go with the cedar for now. I made a mistake on the size of the boards they are 2x6x20 long and not 2x12x10 for only $25.00 each. Still comes out the same.
I remember the good old days when I had a tractor and tiller. Our garden was 100 by 150' long. I didn't have to worry about boards only about tilling in organic material. I could grow anything in those beds and always had enough to put away for a year and still share with anyone who wanted some. Didn't cost hardly any money at all. AWWW the good old days.