Re: raised bed questions raised

**A*@aol.com**

For me, it is a no-brainer. Pressure Treated lumber has to be disposed of as 
toxic waste - do you want that near your food?  We don't use it at the Clinton 
Community Garden, but in addition to untreated wood also use brick and mortar 
on some of our beds, especially those that we are raising higher for 
wheelchair users and others who need more height. 

Best wishes,
Adam Honigman
Volunteer, 
 <A HREF="http://www.clintoncommunitygarden.org/";>Clinton Community Garden</A>

<< Subj:     RE: [cg] raised bed questions raised
 Date:  7/9/03 10:27:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time
 From:  Gwenne.Hayes-Stewart@mobot.org (Gwenne Hayes-Stewart)
 Sender:    community_garden-admin@mallorn.com
 To:    jimcall@mail.casagarden.com ('jimcall@mail.casagarden.com'), 
community_garden@mallorn.com, 3278.Compton.Rd.@mallorn.com

 there is a new product out that is impregnated with soy oil.  It can be
 specially ordered through Lowes and Home Depot.  It is twice as expensive
 and is very brittle and tends to split if you are not careful.  We use it
 but curse it as we go. Gwenne

 -----Original Message-----
 From: Jim Call [j*@mail.casagarden.com]
 Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2003 9:06 AM
 To: community_garden@mallorn.com; 3278.Compton.Rd.@mallorn.com
 Subject: Re: [cg] raised bed questions raised

 Bob, 
 Most ACGA listserv gardeners are organic oriented so mentioning pressured
 treated (PT) wood is not viewed well in this community.  In CASA's
 GardenAngel Program, originally, I used cedar timbers.  When I ran out of
 this material, I did build a couple of raised beds with PT but have since
 decided to use regular lumber.  I plan to stain each piece with a solid
 color stain (2 coats) (Behr Solid Color Stain from Home Depot) for
 protection.  For the long run, regular lumber will not last long. As far as
 options, locust is great.  Cypress should work well.  Normal store bought
 wood is pine which is a low density composition, therefore its life is
 limited.  As a general rule, the heavier or denser the wood, the longer it
 will last.

 As far as using recycled plastic, we have used them as the cap for our
 raised beds.  Our beds are made of concrete blocks, so they will still be in
 production long after everyone on this listserve has went to that great CG
 in the sky. Please review at...   http://www.casagarden.com/rotary.htm

 Recycled plastic comes at a premium price.  Using concrete blocks and having
 the expertise to lay them is also something to consider.

 Many times it comes down to budget constaints.  If you have a small budget,
 then it comes down to how resourceful you are at acquiring materials.  I've
 found that poor folks or those who come from a poor background (such as
 myself) are normally more resourceful than those well off.   

 Good luck going forward with your raised beds,

 Jim 

   >>

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