Subject: Re: Pressure treated wood for raised beds?

From: [email-masked] (RSherry271)
Date: 30 Mar 1995 22:35:17 -0500

Why bother with pressure traeted wood anyway? Untreated wood will last for
several years before needing replacement. Most homeowners will likely give
up on the garden before the wood decays. Why not try other materials like
stones or bricks. Why bother getting involved in this useless banter back
and forth about PTW. There are other alternatives that I rarely see even
the anti- PTW crowd even suggest.
Rosie in RI
Zone 6
URI CE State Master Gardener Coordinator

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From: [email-masked] (Steven Moore)
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 1995 15:09:23 -0500

> URI CE State Master Gardener Coordinator

Good for you Rosie! There are lots of alternative materials.
-- 
Cheers...Steven 
€ € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € € 
   Steven Moore - Freelance Writer
          [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Natasha Elizabeth Dehn)
Date: 1 Apr 1995 02:26:40 GMT

RSherry271 ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Why bother with pressure traeted wood anyway? Untreated wood will last for
: several years before needing replacement. Most homeowners will likely give
: up on the garden before the wood decays. Why not try other materials like
: stones or bricks. Why bother getting involved in this useless banter back
: and forth about PTW. There are other alternatives that I rarely see even
: the anti- PTW crowd even suggest.
: Rosie in RI
: Zone 6
: URI CE State Master Gardener Coordinator

Rosie raises an interesting question, one I've been pondering myself 
recently.  We're in the process of putting in a community garden in my 
neighborhood (yeah!), a project largely subsidized by Gateway Gardening, 
a non-profit gardening group.  We're building raised beds, which sounded 
really great until I found out they supply treated wood.  I've sifted 
through the reports put out by Organic Gardening magazine, and frankly, 
they scare me.  Yes, OG is prone to hyperbole, but they're not just 
quoting holier-than-thou organic farmers there--some of that material 
comes from the EPA and even the wood products people.  So anyway I've been 
working on two issues:  protecting my own plot and drafting a proposal to 
the Gateway people re. alternatives.  Leaving the beds unstructured is 
not an option--the landlord who is loaning us the property likes the 
aesthetic appeal of formal beds, and I suspect he is not alone among 
prospective garden donors.  Similarly, the gardening project people 
want to make a longterm investment,  so cheap lumber is out.  But why 
not use cement blocks or pavers?  Or "harvest" bricks from the many 
crumbling ruins which dot the St. Louis urban landscape?  Even go ahead and 
invest in recycled plastic "wood"?  I've realized that somewhere along 
the line wooden raised beds became the unquestioned standard, posing 
sometimes unnecessary dilemmas.....
For myself, at least this year, I'm wrapping the boards in heavy plastic 
before constructing the beds.  Won't last more than a season but it buys 
me some breathing room to come up with a better answer.

Natasha

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From: [email-masked] (Fellwalker)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 05:11:55 GMT

Natasha Elizabeth Dehn ([email-masked]) wrote:
: RSherry271 ([email-masked]) wrote:
: : Why bother with pressure traeted wood anyway? Untreated wood will last for
: : several years before needing replacement. Most homeowners will likely give
: : up on the garden before the wood decays. Why not try other materials like
: : stones or bricks. Why bother getting involved in this useless banter back
: : and forth about PTW. There are other alternatives that I rarely see even
: : the anti- PTW crowd even suggest.

: Rosie raises an interesting question, one I've been pondering myself 
: recently.  We're in the process of putting in a community garden in my 
: neighborhood (yeah!), a project largely subsidized by Gateway Gardening, 
: a non-profit gardening group.  We're building raised beds, which sounded 
: really great until I found out they supply treated wood.  I've sifted 
...snip
: want to make a longterm investment,  so cheap lumber is out.  But why 
: not use cement blocks or pavers?  Or "harvest" bricks from the many 
: crumbling ruins which dot the St. Louis urban landscape?  Even go ahead and 
: invest in recycled plastic "wood"?  I've realized that somewhere along 
: the line wooden raised beds became the unquestioned standard, posing 
: sometimes unnecessary dilemmas.....

       In the community garden I used to be a part of, there were several 
people who constructed raised beds from old concrete blocks...using the 
holes in the top side for "mini planters". One enterprising gardener 
brought in a load of wooden pallets one day and I watched as he cut them 
up with a chainsaw and built his . 
    There are plenty of alternatives to PTW,...concrete blocks or nice 
redwood boards would last a looonnng time.

--Max
-- 
--  ...with rings on her fingers and bells on her toes... <[email-masked]>

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From: [email-masked] (RSherry271)
Date: 30 Mar 1995 22:35:17 -0500

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From: [email-masked] (Steven Moore)
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 1995 15:09:23 -0500

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From: [email-masked] (Natasha Elizabeth Dehn)
Date: 1 Apr 1995 02:26:40 GMT

Natasha

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From: [email-masked] (Fellwalker)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 05:11:55 GMT

--Max

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From: [email-masked] (Fellwalker)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 05:11:55 GMT

--Max