raised bed questions raised

**Bob Krider b*@zoomtown.com**

#1 does anyone have any definitive or 1st hand info 
on the use of treated wood in raised beds?
#2 has anynoe used the newer composit/plastic 
type psuedo-wood for raised beds?
#3 enjoy the little parable
thanks,
Bob Krider

GOD'S THOUGHTS ON LAWNS

GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and 
nature.

What in the world is going on down there on that 
planet Earth? What happened to the dandelions, 
violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a 
perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those 
plants grow in any type of soil, with stand drought
and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the 
long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey 
bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a 
vast garden of    colors by now. But all I see are 
these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, 
LORD.

The Suburbanites. They started calling your 
flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill 
them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It 
doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only 
grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to 
temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want 
all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, LORD. They go to 
great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin 
each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any 
other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably 
make grass grow really fast. That must make the 
Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, LORD. As soon as it 
grows a little, they cut it -- sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, LORD. Most of them 
rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they 
sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No, Sir. Just the opposite. They pay 
to throw it away.

GOD: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize 
grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they 
cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the 
summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up 
the heat.

That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot 
of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this 
LORD. When the grass stops growing so fast, they 
drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so 
they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of 
the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do 
say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring 
to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the 
autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural 
blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the 
trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves 
form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural 
circle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, LORD. The 
Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as 
the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and 
pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and 
tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist 
and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they 
go out and buy something which they call mulch. 
They haul it home and spread it around in place of 
the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them 
up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough. I don't want to think about this 
anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. 
What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE: 'Dumb and Dumber,' Lord. It's a 
real stupid movie about....

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole 
story from St Francis.

______________________________________________________
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