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raised-bed Raised Beds?

Wickedmick

Wickedmick

As I am expanding my pepper garden beyond my usual 20-30 potted plants this year, I have been looking into raised beds. I have heard several people talking about how pressure treated woods are bad for raised beds, but also several sites/people have said NOW it is ok.

I found this good site with some nice questions and answers on the subject.
http://blog.ufpi.com/blog/pressure-treated-lumber---basics-and-beyond/use-pressure-treated-wood-for-raised-garden-beds

I would love to hear what my fellow HotPepper growers have to say on the subject and how they do thier raised beds. Thnks.
 
Wickedmick said:
As I am expanding my pepper garden beyond my usual 20-30 potted plants this year, I have been looking into raised beds. I have heard several people talking about how pressure treated woods are bad for raised beds, but also several sites/people have said NOW it is ok.

I found this good site with some nice questions and answers on the subject.
http://blog.ufpi.com/blog/pressure-treated-lumber---basics-and-beyond/use-pressure-treated-wood-for-raised-garden-beds

I would love to hear what my fellow HotPepper growers have to say on the subject and how they do thier raised beds. Thnks.
Click to expand...

I follow the square foot gardening methodology. I did not use pressure treated wood, just untreated cedar wood. Its a 4x8. The soil is Mel's Mix, 1/3 different compost (tea, chicken manure, cow manure, etc, leaf mold, etc), 1/3 spaghnum peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite. I love the soil's texture, so light and fluffy. Its doesn't compact and roots i bet have a great time growing in that medium. Here's a link to some pics
 
I always avoided pressure treated lumber because of the arsenic. Arsenic is no longer used so, I now consider it safe for garden use.
 
I use ACQ treated wood for my beds. I still don't know how I feel about it. It is suppose to be fine but who knows. 15 years down the road they may discover something unexpected. I don't really have the healthiest lifestyle though and this ranks fairly low on the list of concerns. I just make sure that I let recipients of my garden veggies know.

For me, it is also a question of how much a plant takes up, stores, etc. Here is an article I found. I don't remember exactly, but I believe I found a study (back in 08' when I first put in a raised bed) that said plants would die from too much arsenic before they became dangerous for us. This is similar to what the above article says about copper. The real concern with arsenic was physical contact with the wood (kids play sets, picnic tables, etc.).
 
Tonly said:
I always avoided pressure treated lumber because of the arsenic. Arsenic is no longer used so, I now consider it safe for garden use.
Click to expand...
- Good to know.

I have always used untreated woods, if I couldn't dig! I don't like the idea of anything nasty in my soil, even if it's minute.
 
The 3 most common "lumber" options for a raised bed are pressure treated, cedar, or composite. Pressure treated lumber is the least expensive option. Although cedar is a great option for exterior applications, it won't last as long as pressure treated when it's in direct contact with soil. It is also almost twice as expensive as pressure treated. Composite (widely used for decking) will last the longest by far. It is about 3 times the cost of pressure treated. All 3 are good options, but the "most bang for your buck" is pressure treated in my opinion.
 
I'm using treated because I couldn't afford a high quality untreated wood.
I got 20 boards at $1.75 each so for 2 4.5m x 1.5m raised beds it cost me $35 in wood and about $5 in screws

One bed was filled entirely by bags of various compost and cow manure and coir blocks.

The other I ordered 1.5T of Organic garden soil to be delivered (I hate it and wish I never got it).
It's fine for growing in as everything in it is doing fine, It's just very heavy on sand and without mulch it crusts on top.
Will never buy it again and will replace with my own compost at time goes by.
 
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