Cheapest way to make raised beds.

Lotus-eater

cubegame wrote: »

It's not a good idea to use standard pressure treated timber for raised beds for anything other than ornamental crops. The preservatives used will leech into the soil and they are not food safe.

Can you tell us what preservatives leech into the soil from pressure treated timber?

cubegame

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Can you tell us what preservatives leech into the soil from pressure treated timber?

It is most probably Tanalith E. Google it and make up your own mind.

I have no problems with using chemicals in the garden which are proven to be safe and indeed some of the evidence might suggest this is.

But then again, heavy metals are not generally something that I would want any extra risk of exposure to.


Anyone using reclaimed wood or wood which is not intended for normal home use should be extremely extremely wary as it could be treated with CCA (Chromium Copper Arsenide) which is a whole different ballgame and is a definite no-no.

misskool

cubegame wrote: »

It is most probably Tanalith E. Google it and make up your own mind.

I have no problems with using chemicals in the garden which are proven to be safe and indeed some of the evidence might suggest this is.

.

Tanalith is copper azole is pressure driven through the wood to preserve it. It's been tested against leaching. (although, not as long as say, a litetime worth's of use)

Add to that, Bordeaux mixture (the organically approved way to prevent blight) is made of copper sulphate (a more soluble form) and lime that you spray directly onto plants. This will then leach onto the water table.

I'd rather use tanalised wood and spray dithane instead of using natural wood and spray bordeaux mixture. But that's just me.

kinkyjinks

If you want raised beds I'd agree that either pallets or decking is the cheapest way to build them. My strawberry bed is made from pallets, as is my seed bed. I built my asparagus bed from decking boards as I thought they would last longer than pallet wood. One of my neighbouring allotments mainly has raised beds and IMO you seem to lose a lot of actual growing space.

Chetan

You could probably put stakes in the ground every 12-18" and cut some plywood to the right height, place inside the stakes and fill the resulting tub with soil...basically, you would be building a big honking planter.

valk_scot

When I first started turning the whole allotment over to raised beds I basically marked the beds out with pegs and string and got digging. I had no spare cash back then (still don't, come to think of it) so the timber edging came from skips. I think for the next four years I never drove past a skip without looking inside and I carried a saw to cut wood down to get it into the car. I had some really good finds...someone taking down a big timber fence, my neighbours attic conversion, endless amounts of warped boards and broken scaffolding planks from the new estate being built on the edge of town. I've got 26 raised beds now, all 4' wide, ranging from 6' to 20' long. Didn't spend a penny on the timber for either edging or the pegs. I also collected wool carpet and carpet tiles (from the bowling club refurbishment) for the paths and all sorts of other usefull odds and ends...a cold frame, canes, pots etc. Skips are really an amazing resource. You are strictly speaking supposed to ask the skip owners permission before you remove any contents but I only did this if a skip was on a drive...skips on the road are fair game imho. The workmen on the estate used to help cut the timber down for me!

matt987106

cubegame wrote: »

It is most probably Tanalith E. Google it and make up your own mind.

I have no problems with using chemicals in the garden which are proven to be safe and indeed some of the evidence might suggest this is.

But then again, heavy metals are not generally something that I would want any extra risk of exposure to.


Anyone using reclaimed wood or wood which is not intended for normal home use should be extremely extremely wary as it could be treated with CCA (Chromium Copper Arsenide) which is a whole different ballgame and is a definite no-no.

you can just pop to a builders yard and buy some rubble bags, cut them into strips and line the inside of the raised bed

job done, little contact with the soil in the raised bed