We're using untreated douglas fir. Two years ago we built a raised bed on part of our patio as we were so short of space to grow vegetables. ECO WOOD TREATMENT is a non toxic wood preservative." HDPE aka High Density Polyethylene is a plastic. From chairs and tables to wooden storage boxes, you can use olive oil and let it act as a varnish. The environments that would cause it to break down would not support plant growth. What kind of wood is it? This time, I'm going to use a 12"pine board for the north (back) side and a 4" front. For many of us, one of the primary benefits of growing our own food is the knowledge that our vegetables have not been sprayed, treated or artificially enhanced. Short of scaffold boards, I use untreated roofing timber or equivalent, as it lasts longer than cheaper softwood. That said, I think I may look for the eco wood treatment unless someone has another recommendation. ", "To all above, Toxins,Toxins everywhere and not a drop to drink. Interior - clear Timber Pro UV Internal Wood Stabilizer (Portland, OR) which combines "penetrating exotic oils and transoxide pigments for unequaled product performance", and 2.) ... Quant Vaporizer with Walnut Wood Finish Price: ... (which contain oil or wax in a … after much consideration i figured that using fir framing lumber (2 x 12") is the most cost effective- i just got enough lumber for 2 12' x 4' beds for under $70 US. http://thegoodhuman.com/2009/03/31/what-is-propylene-glycol-and-why-you-should-avoid-it/ ", "Adam, thanks for the question! Untreated wood tends to take 2-3 coats, but if you’re unsure just stop when the wood stops absorbing the oil. How about Milk Paint? In that time I may want to re-style the garden anyway. Clean the wood: You want your cutting board and spoons to be as clean as possible and thoroughly dry. The richer the soil the faster the decay. They claim its non-toxic and a one-time treatment for rot. I am specifically speaking about HDPE as it is a much more stable form of plastic, and I have yet to see SPECIFIC data for the chemicals you claim that it leaches. Sounds awesome, just can't find it. Thanx Rust only puts iron into the soil and will be their for several wood applications. HDPE is more resilient than most plastics, but I have still seen some crumbly, clouded, cracked, and deformed HDPE water bottles that I know leached and dried out. For what it's worth, I have 2 inch untreated larch beds still doing very well after 6 years. Please realize that I agree that other forms of plastic can be toxic from the chemicals they leach. At the end of the article you said: Design the herb garden to look good year round (main plantings of sage, rosemary, lavender, etc and strategic places for annuals like cilantro, basil, chives, nasturtiums, etc. the coil stock comes 2' x 50' sold and hardware stores . I'm thinking about lining the inside of the planter with sheet metal. ", "So it's been 4 years, what's the verdict? : ) Metal also seems like a very bad idea. Wood cutting boards should be regularly seasoned with a good quality cutting board oil. The soldiers would carry poles so they could put up an overnight defence quickly. ", "Regarding Steve's consideration of using aluminum as a veggie bed liner: naturally occuring aluminum is widespread and not notably toxic. Would it be considered organic ? ", "Dakev, I have thought about covering them with black plastic liner on the inside but I think that through the seasons the plastic would just trap moisture, creating a permanantly damp layer which would rot just the same. ", "I commented 2 years ago and at that time my plain pine boards had already been in for 2 years I'm fairly certain but please confirm that I need to toss out everything and start over - the dirt - the box - everything - right? It is full of BPA, styrene is a human carcinogen, it breaks apart easily, so good luck tilling soil around it. i did see it in the gardeners supply catalog. Safe for food, 1. We have tons of unknown varmit holes all over. ", "Hi Jeremy, Local rock, donated labor (perfect volunteer opportunity for someone to try to build some masonry skills), and you might be able to keep the cost down (you will most like want an automated drip irrigation system and possibly some lighting. Oil is made of molecules small enough to seep down into the wood rather than merely sit on top. ", "I have used 3ml and 8ml plastic inside my flower planters and it considerably extends the life of wood pots made from pine or fur. However, I do think it is an excellent idea and would definitely help. ", "Thank you so much for this article! ", "In tropical countries (and sometimes temperate as well) fence posts are concrete. Minimum Budget Needed- (approx. But most important what ever you grow in your back yard will be more healthy than what you buy at Wall Mart. We have chicken/pest covers over all our raised beds so we get to eat something for all our efforts. I had expected wood to be first and best choice environmentally, and while it still might be, the treatment options sound like they are not ! I would guess they could also be painted if one were so inclined. I think this material, whether from garage doors or roofing panels, might be a viable alternative for many gardeners . ", "Hello all. We treat all our logs with 100% natural mixture of pure raw linseed oil, gum turpentine, beeswax and carnauba wax. Do you have any more resources about this that you reccommend? line the inside of the garden box (raised bed) with wood looking floor tile (sold as 8x24 inch tile) set 2x8"s thin bed of gravel , for drainage . Wood from various sources including some removed from our roof when we had a loft conversion was used. Over what period of time does this happen? ", "I use Procol painted timber, its the stuff The Recycle Works use on their compost bins/raised bed kits... ", "I'd like to see more discussion about scortching wood to prevent rotting. What was the question? I feel this may be an acceptable solution and decorative as well, but to purchase and apply a primer (I feel separate steps would be justified in this application) and paint I am not sure of the overall benefit at this time. And - while I'm not a chemist - there most definitely are different forms of copper. I must ad, that I also cover the entire bed in plastic - like a mini green house - during the raining seasons and winter. I am involved with putting a raised bed in our town centre with 'Help Yourself' Herbs in it for the public. I did apply the Eco Wood treatment and had just enough of it to cover all the boards and posts. See the link for the rest of the recipe. ", "Has anyone tried applying wood ash to untreated boards? That scream actually took a couple years to form but was irrefutable evidence that I could not ignore, not even by reading the plastic propaganda off the website of a company trying to justify hocking their wares in cheap plastic bottles. Only a petrochemical shill would ask for something that a-retentive and totally asinine. Plus it's wonderful to not have to dig in the dirt on the ground. Honey Production business Honey Production business. His first attempts were to design an engine to run on coal dust, but he later designed his engine to run on vegetable oil. Can it cause problems when added on top of all the other aluminum your body absorbs? Looks like I could apply it to a newly built planter bed, inside and out with a garden sprayer. (You have to be home to air the beds when they get hot.) I can not seem to find any information about is it ok for veggie garden box. They are SO versitile and useful and I cannot sing their praises enough. ", "has anyone considered using a wax coating", "I've recently built planters out of a combination of pine and pressure-treated wood that I plan to grow herbs in. What you add to the top of your raised bed will soon end up at the bottom. That is all the proof I need and more. ", "Have to congratulate Ellenbee on her determined research. (Bricks would be another approach -- any masonry.) Any thoughts or suggestions? You just brush it on and its very thin so you have to be careful about splashing. The reason for this degradation of the plastic is the leaching of chemicals by the sun and elements. My preference is wood, for looks, and untreated, for food, but the council understandably want long lasting and not a ridculous price tag. So will the exposure to aluminum just from the liners be enough to cause any problems? ", "we could get real innovative. A bed in a northern location may be cold and harsh but may benefit from a juniper to provide berries. 2 heating oil can be made to burn either biodiesel or filtered, preheated waste vegetable oil (WVO). burlap rather than plastic? Silver tarnishes ("burns") at room temperature. Didn't think about the danger of the chemicals before hand. Crown frame can be raised with a loose 2x4 block at each corner. ", "@Vernagain, thank you for your response, I appreciate your good sensible down to earth (is there a pun in that?)advice. ", "I have heard that concrete blocks can leach heavy metals like mercury depending on where the sand is from. All plastics are “chemical concoctions” (to borrow a phrase). The srticle is here: ", "Comment trackback from: http://recyclebills.squarespace.com/recycleblog/safe-borders-for-your-vegetable-gardens.html", "I am in early days of planning a new 12mx12m vegetable garden - its currently still a daunting pile of rocks and weeds. As Zapo says, it's not eternal, but I figure 10-15 years of life is pretty good! When we built them, we didn't stain, paint or do anything to prolong their lifespan ... just filled with garden soil and planted. My eye surgeon told me to eat plenty of greens, that's the best protection we have against macular degeneration. i love my raised beds, no they are not a fad for me, they let me garden in otherwise terrible doil, they limit the amount of mulch and ammendments I have to use. I have not contacted this company, however their website makes a clear argument that their product would be safe for a food crop application. http://www.strongtie.com/productuse/ptwoodfaqs.html# It is completely undried and untreated, just the way it is sawed off the log. Raised bed perimeter material made from corrugated metal roofing (new and/or recycled ). salt spring island, bc. I am making my beds with hemp fir, 2 inches thick, 2 feet high and sitting on a boarder of brick to reduce ground contact. ", "Any reason why nobody has recommended pure tung oil yet? ", "Word on the street is these days the process of making lumber weather resistant is more environmentally sound using a preservative called alkaline copper quat or ACQ. But I do wonder about the possibility of untreated wood drawing unwanted insects. ", "I have regularly used HDPE bamboo barrier to control running bamboo, and if it is underground, where the roots of plants are, it does not change appearance at all in at least 25 years, based on my experience. IF it has been proved that after 3 or 4 years they still leach nothing and ssuming cost is less than hardwood..I will go with them", "Hi I just purchase some 528 58 H4 EcoWoods OUTDOOR TIMBER at the local gardens supplies he said that it is fine. There is an interesting discussion thread on CedarShield here: http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/47195/Opinions-Wanted-Cedarshield-Petri-Wood-Permatek Of course there is plenty more out there on the web. --This statement explains how some HDPE plastics have weathered, but does not contain any specific information. Raw wood accents look great, but using a lacquer, varnish, or an oil solution to polish your wood will enhance the natural colors and leave a beautiful finish. enjoy", "Advice please ? I'm thinking for now I will do what Jeremy does: use 2" pine boards and assume they will rot. You know this is rust right? It doesn't make any sense that you could crush up some limestone or feldspar, mix it in water, and it would soak into and protect the wood (though maybe it does!) I did line the wood with 6-mil polyethylene sheeting, as a precaution against damp. Have you considered it, or know more about it ? The CedarShield stuff mentioned above sounds interesting and worth some investigation. Am I now in trouble with chemicals from the polythene being a potential problem? It all rots eventually, but can last years before it actually needs replacing, bit by bit; it doesn't matter that it's not eternal. I made 4 10' X 3' raised beds and it was just enough to treat all of them. I wanted something that was going to last for quite a few years. 1) hopefully the tomatoes will do better and 2) we made it higher than we wanted in order to block off the back of the shed to keep our digging dog from getting back there. The oil will penetrate the wood, soaking into the surface. There is a brick wall with shallow foundations in between... It does sound better than CCAs but is still prohibited in organic gardening standards: see http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/lumber.html for details which states: 'Some copper does leach from ACQ-treated lumber, making it unsafe for garden use.' i might add dupont tyvek building wrap as an additional first layer for the next time. ", "Thanks for thee comments. So the heavy rains are kept off the wood and under the wood I put gravel so it drains well all around the sides under the wood. I also wonder whether chemicals might still leak into the soil below and be taken up by the plant's roots. My wife and I opted for cedar planks treated with thick coats of raw linseed oil. To hArte: that metal roofing might work but I wonder what the cost is? I did not want to buy soil to fill the4x12 and the three 4x4's so I put rows of soil every 12 inches and alternated with leaves, grass, pAper, manure, and a little of my clay soil, then covered that with newspaper and planted my vege in between. Another concern for many is the toxicity levels on treated wood items used for food and toys. The household appliance (that is how he designed it) only needs one kilowatt of power to convert about two pounds of plastic (Polyethylene ) into a liter of oil. I have had them 6 years now and not re painted them and a few boards at the very bottom (where they are in contact with the ground AND compost all the time) are beginning to go a bit soggy looking....but thats all ", "Just a thought: bathe the wood in a mixture of beeswax and hemp seed oil. But this is a crude overview because thermal, UV, and other stabilizers/chemicals are added. Whether it is used to create raised beds, the edges of paths or a frame for protective netting, wood is the natural choice for many gardeners. ", "Sweet! You can surely Google out the science behind it....", "You started with some info in sealing concrete block beds and everoything after the first few articles were for wood beds. When I need to replace the wood in my raised beds, I will be getting it from the nearby sawmill.
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