Next spring I want to do a raised bed for the small garden I usually have.What kind of wood and any ideas where I could get some? Thanks!!
Wood for Raised beds
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The new treated wood is OK for gardens. I use 2 x 12s screwed together at the corners and they last ten years or more even though they say not rated for ground contact. Any lumber store has it. Lowe's and Home Depot are common.
If for some reason you are scared of treated wood the regular 2 x 12 pine will last 4-5 years before it rots away.
If for some reason you are scared of treated wood the regular 2 x 12 pine will last 4-5 years before it rots away.
From Organic Gardening Magazine
ORGANIC GARDENING campaigned heavily to make home owners aware of the dangers posed by old-school CCA (chromium, copper and arsenic) treated wood back when I was the magazine's Editor in the 1990s. (Even worse are old railroad ties and power poles; those massive reservoirs of cancer causing chemicals don't belong in any landscape.)
Thanks to the great work and applied 'pressure' of many dedicated groups and individuals (including OG's then Research Editor Cheryl Long—now the Editor of Mother Earth News), the industry cut a deal with the EPA in 2004 to begin voluntarily phasing out the use of arsenic in treated wood products available to home owners. (Although arsenic treated wood is still allowed for some applications, like marine construction. Sorry, fishies!) In CCA's place, a dizzying array of less-toxic treated wood products have come to market for home owner use, one of which is "Nature Wood".
The copper is still there, but the other C, chromium (a worrisome metal) and the big A, arsenic are gone; replaced by {quote} "Quaternary ammonium compounds," which an hour or so of research informs me is a form of ammonium chloride (as in ammonia and chlorine). I'm not wild about either of those elements, especially chlorine, which helped kill millions when used as a component of trench gas in World War I. And although this compound seems to be close to ubiquitous in household products, there appears to no data on its potential carcinogenicity, tera to genicity or mutagencity (translation: Potential to cause cancer, birth defects and mutations).
It's probably a big improvement over arsenic treated wood, whose health effects were clearly dire. But it's highly corrosive to certain metals, leading me to worry about its effects on soil life; and there is an excellent alternative that I like a lot: Wood treated with boric acid (a.k.a. borates). Boric acid is extremely safe for humans, yet protects wood against rot, decay and insects—acting first as a repellent, then a feeding deterrent, and finally being deadly to any insects what aren't repelled and/or deterred.
An Internet search found borate treated wood available under several brand names, including "Advance Guard" and "Hi-Bor" (both made by a company that used to sell a lot of CCA treated wood, so they should be just as easy to obtain).
Bill Quarles, director of the common-sense pesticide clearing house BIRC—the Bio Integral Resource Center in Berkeley, California —informs us that he has learned of a new treatment via the wonderful sustainable agriculture group ATTRA. Marketed as "Thunderbolt" (who thinks up these names?!) by a company in Riverbank, CA, the wood is treated with "a solution of 62.3% copper oxide and 35.8% citric acid dissolved in ammonia water". The company hopes to get this treated wood alternative accepted for use in organic agriculture, specifically for fence posts and grape stakes.
My research also found an intriguing new technology on the horizon: 'wood acetylation', a technique that uses acetic acid (as in vinegar) to make wood resistant to rot and insects. It dates back to the 1920s but only recently became cost-effective, when a company in the Netherlands reportedly began large scale production in 2007. We'll keep an eye out for it on our shores.
I remind every budding raised bed builder that bricks, field stone and pavers make excellent rot-and-insect-proof frames. And when used in cooler regions, the stone will store heat during the day and release it slowly in the evening—warming your soil up earlier in the season, keeping it warm later in the season, and longer into the evening.
If you like the look of wood, the composite 'lumbers' made from recycled plastic and recovered wood waste work extremely well. My raised bed frames made of Trex are over twenty years old and still look brand new. (I wish I could say the same of myself.) You can also buy 'timbers' made of 100% recycled plastic that look and work just like wood.
And for the question about the treatment of existing wood, we're back to boron! There are a wide variety of boric acid 'washes' that home owners can use to treat the wood of their choice, including "Bora-Care", "Jecta" and the wonderfully named "Tim-Bor" (get it?). (Timbor post treatment info.)
High concentrations of boric acid cause the rapid death of pest insects, but low levels cause no immediate symptoms, allowing the targeted ants or termites to take the material back to the nest, where it is shared by the entire colony—including the all-important Queen—wiping the colony out within a week or so. This same mechanism of action applies to the boric acid sweet-bait traps we recommend for household ant problems. The dose in the traps is deliberately low, to make sure the worker ants survive long enough to haul that Boric Acid Trojan Horse safely inside their walls.
Thanks to the great advocacy group Beyond Pesticides for their excellent fact sheet on termites, which supplied many leads and brand names for this article. Here's a link to that wonderful info. And here's a LINK to lots more info and detail about raised bed framing options—including naturally rot resistant woods—in a previous Question of the Week.
ORGANIC GARDENING campaigned heavily to make home owners aware of the dangers posed by old-school CCA (chromium, copper and arsenic) treated wood back when I was the magazine's Editor in the 1990s. (Even worse are old railroad ties and power poles; those massive reservoirs of cancer causing chemicals don't belong in any landscape.)
Thanks to the great work and applied 'pressure' of many dedicated groups and individuals (including OG's then Research Editor Cheryl Long—now the Editor of Mother Earth News), the industry cut a deal with the EPA in 2004 to begin voluntarily phasing out the use of arsenic in treated wood products available to home owners. (Although arsenic treated wood is still allowed for some applications, like marine construction. Sorry, fishies!) In CCA's place, a dizzying array of less-toxic treated wood products have come to market for home owner use, one of which is "Nature Wood".
The copper is still there, but the other C, chromium (a worrisome metal) and the big A, arsenic are gone; replaced by {quote} "Quaternary ammonium compounds," which an hour or so of research informs me is a form of ammonium chloride (as in ammonia and chlorine). I'm not wild about either of those elements, especially chlorine, which helped kill millions when used as a component of trench gas in World War I. And although this compound seems to be close to ubiquitous in household products, there appears to no data on its potential carcinogenicity, tera to genicity or mutagencity (translation: Potential to cause cancer, birth defects and mutations).
It's probably a big improvement over arsenic treated wood, whose health effects were clearly dire. But it's highly corrosive to certain metals, leading me to worry about its effects on soil life; and there is an excellent alternative that I like a lot: Wood treated with boric acid (a.k.a. borates). Boric acid is extremely safe for humans, yet protects wood against rot, decay and insects—acting first as a repellent, then a feeding deterrent, and finally being deadly to any insects what aren't repelled and/or deterred.
An Internet search found borate treated wood available under several brand names, including "Advance Guard" and "Hi-Bor" (both made by a company that used to sell a lot of CCA treated wood, so they should be just as easy to obtain).
Bill Quarles, director of the common-sense pesticide clearing house BIRC—the Bio Integral Resource Center in Berkeley, California —informs us that he has learned of a new treatment via the wonderful sustainable agriculture group ATTRA. Marketed as "Thunderbolt" (who thinks up these names?!) by a company in Riverbank, CA, the wood is treated with "a solution of 62.3% copper oxide and 35.8% citric acid dissolved in ammonia water". The company hopes to get this treated wood alternative accepted for use in organic agriculture, specifically for fence posts and grape stakes.
My research also found an intriguing new technology on the horizon: 'wood acetylation', a technique that uses acetic acid (as in vinegar) to make wood resistant to rot and insects. It dates back to the 1920s but only recently became cost-effective, when a company in the Netherlands reportedly began large scale production in 2007. We'll keep an eye out for it on our shores.
I remind every budding raised bed builder that bricks, field stone and pavers make excellent rot-and-insect-proof frames. And when used in cooler regions, the stone will store heat during the day and release it slowly in the evening—warming your soil up earlier in the season, keeping it warm later in the season, and longer into the evening.
If you like the look of wood, the composite 'lumbers' made from recycled plastic and recovered wood waste work extremely well. My raised bed frames made of Trex are over twenty years old and still look brand new. (I wish I could say the same of myself.) You can also buy 'timbers' made of 100% recycled plastic that look and work just like wood.
And for the question about the treatment of existing wood, we're back to boron! There are a wide variety of boric acid 'washes' that home owners can use to treat the wood of their choice, including "Bora-Care", "Jecta" and the wonderfully named "Tim-Bor" (get it?). (Timbor post treatment info.)
High concentrations of boric acid cause the rapid death of pest insects, but low levels cause no immediate symptoms, allowing the targeted ants or termites to take the material back to the nest, where it is shared by the entire colony—including the all-important Queen—wiping the colony out within a week or so. This same mechanism of action applies to the boric acid sweet-bait traps we recommend for household ant problems. The dose in the traps is deliberately low, to make sure the worker ants survive long enough to haul that Boric Acid Trojan Horse safely inside their walls.
Thanks to the great advocacy group Beyond Pesticides for their excellent fact sheet on termites, which supplied many leads and brand names for this article. Here's a link to that wonderful info. And here's a LINK to lots more info and detail about raised bed framing options—including naturally rot resistant woods—in a previous Question of the Week.
This past spring, I built a 4' x 12' garden bed for tomatoe plants. Built it using true 4/4 cedar that I picked up from Scott Smith here at NCWW. I reinforced the corners with 4 x 4 pieces of pressure treated post from the BORG.
The cedar has worked well and should last a few years.
Wayne
The cedar has worked well and should last a few years.
Wayne
I put in four 4x8 raised beds for asparagus 3 years ago out of rough cut unfinished 4x4' eastern red cedar. Sure the 4x4s are gray now but no rot or splitting issues, so I'm very pleased with the results. In my mind it beats CCA (Chromated copper arsenate) lumber that might leach out of the wood and into the soil for my asparagus to uptake.
Thanks everyone for all the tips!!!!
Mike,
How would you treat wood using borates?
How would you treat wood using borates?
[h=3]TIM-BOR PROFESSIONAL[/h]Timbor Professional's active ingredient, 98% Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate has no known insect resistance. It may used as as a liquid, foam or dust, and provides long term protection against insects(drywood and subterranean termites, wood boring beetles, carpenter ants and decaying fungi.
[h=3]HOW DOES TIMBOR WORK ?[/h]
Tim-bor is a wood preservative that stops and prevents rot and insect attacks. It can be sprayed or brushed onto the surface of lumber, timbers, OSB or plywood. The preservative becomes a part of the wood as it penetrates deep into the wood through a process called diffusion. By diffusing deep into wood fibers, Tim-bor lasts for as long as wood is kept away from flowing water. That means that Timbor has controlling powers that last for a very long time.
[h=3]USED FOR WOOD DESTROYING INSECTS & DECAY FUNGI[/h]Timbor is not only an insecticide that provides protection and treatment of lumber from wood destroying insects, but also works against fungal decay. This fungal decay includes, brown rot, white rot and wet rots. Timbor is a water soluble, inorganic borate salt with insecticidal properties effective against wood-destoying organisms, including, Subterranean termites, Dry wood termites, Damp wood termites, Carpenter ants, PowderPost Beetles (False PowderPost Beetles, Furniture and Deathwatch Beetles, Old House Borers, Longhorn Beetles, and Ambrosia Beetles.). Timbor does not treat mold or prevent mold from growing.
[h=3][/h][h=3]TYPES OF APPLICATIONS[/h]Tim-bor can be applied as a solution, foam or dust for wood treatment against wood destroying organisms and as a solution or dust for general insect control. Tim-bor, applied as a solution or foam to wood, will penetrate into the wood to various depths dependent upon the moisture in the wood and the wood species. The active ingredient in Tim-bor does not break down. As normal moisture changes occur in the wood, Tim-bor is always available to be drawn deeper into the wood over time, providing long lasting protection. The mode of action for Timbor is that of a slow acting stomach poison to insects, and a contact poison to decay fungi. As Wood-destroying insects or their larvae feed on, tunnel in and/or digest wood, they accumulate the active ingredient of Timbor into their systems
[h=3]TIMBOR - SOLUTION FOR LONG-TERM PROTECTION[/h]Timbor is a small investment for your home and key in preventing fungus and termite infestations with one or several applications. Treat your home to Timbor, and you'll be treating yourself to a longer-lasting cure for insect and decay problems.
[h=3]TIMBOR- FEATURES[/h]
[h=3]HOW DOES TIMBOR WORK ?[/h]
[h=3]USED FOR WOOD DESTROYING INSECTS & DECAY FUNGI[/h]Timbor is not only an insecticide that provides protection and treatment of lumber from wood destroying insects, but also works against fungal decay. This fungal decay includes, brown rot, white rot and wet rots. Timbor is a water soluble, inorganic borate salt with insecticidal properties effective against wood-destoying organisms, including, Subterranean termites, Dry wood termites, Damp wood termites, Carpenter ants, PowderPost Beetles (False PowderPost Beetles, Furniture and Deathwatch Beetles, Old House Borers, Longhorn Beetles, and Ambrosia Beetles.). Timbor does not treat mold or prevent mold from growing.
[h=3][/h][h=3]TYPES OF APPLICATIONS[/h]Tim-bor can be applied as a solution, foam or dust for wood treatment against wood destroying organisms and as a solution or dust for general insect control. Tim-bor, applied as a solution or foam to wood, will penetrate into the wood to various depths dependent upon the moisture in the wood and the wood species. The active ingredient in Tim-bor does not break down. As normal moisture changes occur in the wood, Tim-bor is always available to be drawn deeper into the wood over time, providing long lasting protection. The mode of action for Timbor is that of a slow acting stomach poison to insects, and a contact poison to decay fungi. As Wood-destroying insects or their larvae feed on, tunnel in and/or digest wood, they accumulate the active ingredient of Timbor into their systems
[h=3]TIMBOR - SOLUTION FOR LONG-TERM PROTECTION[/h]Timbor is a small investment for your home and key in preventing fungus and termite infestations with one or several applications. Treat your home to Timbor, and you'll be treating yourself to a longer-lasting cure for insect and decay problems.
[h=3]TIMBOR- FEATURES[/h]
- Timbor is wood preservative that works as an insecticide and fungicide.
- Timbor is a borate compound(Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate ). Borate compounds are derived from mineral deposits that contain the element Boron.
- Timbor is both an insecticide and a fungicide. Insects are exposed to the active ingredient by eating treated wood or by ingestion while grooming. Borates are a contact toxicant to fungi. The borates prevent metabolism of food by insects and fungi causing death.
- Tim-bor can be applied to the surface of bare wood. Tim-bor can be foamed using equipment designed for foaming applications It can also be applied as a dust into void attic and wall void areas for labeled insect control.
- Timbor mixes with water to make a 10% solution or a 15% solution; use 1lb or 1.5 lb per gallon of water.
- Won't stain or discolor wood surfaces.
- Virtually odorless
- Will not corrode screws, nails and other components used in construction.
- Boracare ( Another borate ) allows a deeper absorbion and penetration in wood. If you have powderpost beetles, particulary in furniture, Boracare may be a preferred product. Timbor only absorbs to an 1/4 of an inch.
For some other ideas, here is a previous post on this topic: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=52166
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