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Re: building raised beds

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

I infer that what you mean by "arson" is arsenic, one of the world's most
famous and deadly poisons. "Arson" is an illegal burning of something,
usually a house, barn, etc. BTW, arsenic is a chemical that can leach into
the soil. How can you tell whether your plants have taken up the arsenic or
not? Margaret L


At 10:13 AM 4/12/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
>
>We just had this discussion on another list a few months ago. I have
>been buying the pressure treated lumber for my gardens. I wasn't aware
>that the wood was pressure treated and all my gardens were made of this
>wood. I wrote to my local extension agency and also contacted the store 
>I bought the wood from. Both seemed to understand my concern. They were
>also aware of the problems with the arson in the p.t. wood. There has
>been testing on this wood and no arson turned up in the soil. Also,
>the plants would have to take in the arsen and that does not seem to
>be happening. But it is always better to be on the safe side and if
>you can use bricks or something else, I'm sure that would be better.
>I definitely would not use railroad ties, although when I first got
>into organic gardening, that is what people used. They have been known
>to have chemicals leach in the soil. If I have to use the p.t. wood,
>I will make sure it stays in another part of the yard for awhile so
>that it can get rained on, or sprinkled on, and that may help remove
>the arsen before I put the wood in the garden.
>
>   Susan S. in zone 9
>
>>Railroad ties are soaked with creosote, which is fairly toxic --- to
>>the point that it will burn your skin if you get it on you.  Normal
>>lumber is pressure-treated with other nasty stuff --- arsenides if I
>>remember correctly.
>>
>>Creosote can definitely leach into your garden and will kill plants; I
>>don't know if it will contaminate unkilled plants.  Pressure-treated
>>lumber is not known to leach its poisons into your soil, but there's no
>>way *I'm* going to risk it.
>>
>>I got a bunch of bricks from old buildings being demolished in my area;
>>I think I will build my raised bed from these.  A
>>four-foot-across-the-corners hexagon that's four bricks high --- about
>>a foot --- should take about 100 bricks.
>>
>
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