What Wood To Use For Organic Raised Beds

Raised beds are garden containers commonly made from wood and the type of wood we use will determine how long lasting safe and sustainable they are.
What wood to use for organic raised beds. Thanks for that printable info. The best of the best is cedar since it s naturally rot resistant doesn t require chemical treatments looks great and will last for 10 20 years. The perfect raised bed soil what kind of soil do you fill your raised garden beds with i get asked this question all. Now i have a reason to use my double boiler.
If you want to grow the healthiest best organic food possible it s probably not a good idea to use any kind of pressure treated lumber. Most gardeners use their existing soil in raised beds adding organic amendments such as compost and organic fertilizers when needed. This publication focuses on materials that comply with most organic food production standards. There are many choices of materials to use for raised garden bed construction.
Non toxic wood preservative for raised beds and planters elevated garden beds planters garden decks and outdoor wood furniture can be protected against both water and fungal borne decay with new mineral based formulations which are non toxic and safe to use with food crops. I lined the beds with split wood. Really useful information here that i will be able to apply in my organic raised bed gardens literally. It offers a natural resistance to rot and insects.
If you just found out that your raised garden bed was made with arsenic treated wood if rebuilding is not an option know that plants will not absorb arsenic when they have enough phosphorous. When considering wood you could use whole logs or more commonly planks. As i think we have already established soil health and quality is everything when it comes to a bountiful healthy productive garden so we don t mess around here using a combination of quality organic soil compost and an aeration addition will create the. If you have a lot of natural rock in and around your property put the rock to good use by creating a natural raised bed.
Dustytoes on july 04 2012. Cedar lumber is often used in constructing raised beds. A step that is frequently missed is doing a soil test to determine the basics of the existing soil. Planks over an inch 3cm in thickness will last longer and the best wood for raised garden beds is hard wood.
Some are more environmentally friendly than others. Soil texture soil acidity soil nutrient deficiencies or overabundance and soil contaminants like lead and. To date i have used the no till method and created beds using the mound system you referenced early in the article adding lots of organic matter over the years.