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Treated wood to build raised bed yah or nay ???

emmamoore85emmamoore85 Posts: 5
in Garden design

Hi my names Emma and im a newbie gardener im wanting to grow all edibale foods and possibly some benifical flowers alongside, in rasied beds that i will make my self, ive done alot of research and it seems that the verdict is still out on weather to use pressure treated wood for raised beds due to the chemicals being changed that they use to treat the wood nower days and weather the claim that the chemicals in the wood could leach out in to the soil and cause problems growing food or even be a health hazard, i personally only want to use wood , i think it also comes down to what you can afford as it seems alot of the suggested wood type is ceder witch is just not affordable to your every day gardener , but being in the uk and generally us brits like to do things in the most cost effective way myself included it seems alot of the info that i found from people living in uk as alot of it although good info ive come across mainly originated from the usa , is to buy the treated wood as it is the most cost affective way to build your own raised beds but line the inside with fish pond liner if your realy consumed with worry about using treated wood so theres no actual wood to soil contact i love to get your thoughts and advice on this matter :-) 

Last edited: 24 February 2017 23:49:48

Posts

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 36,839

    Hi emma and welcome to the forum. The only wood I would have real concerns about is old used railway sleepers when I would think about using a liner and get the sleepers from a responsible source. Personally I would just go for new railway sleepers and depending on what they are made of consider the use of the pond liner for the softer woods to preserve them.

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 53,942

    I'd agree with Ladybird. New sleepers or fencing timber is all pressure treated. You can line with any heavy duty plastic, which mainly helps prolong the life of the wood and retain moisture, as raised beds often drain and dry out more quickly.

     I wouldn't worry otherwise. I've grown edibles in various timber raised beds I've had - often without any liner. I'm still alive to tell the tale  image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 6,896

    New pressure treated wood here too. The (rarely mentioned in these debates) downside of untreated wood is it's propensity for growing assorted and uncontrolled forms of fungi and mould. Personally I'm not sure there's much to chose between the pressure treatment chemicals and the mould, in terms of potential health effects, except the mould is 'natural' I suppose. And pressure treated wood is cheaper and easier to get.

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    New sleepers are normally pressure treated pine. You can get oak sleepers which are not treated. They are more expensive but it's your choice. Old railway sleepers are a Nono because they are covered in tar and creosote. You'll be fine with new ones. 

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • emmamoore85emmamoore85 Posts: 5
    Ladybird4 says:

    Hi emma and welcome to the forum. The only wood I would have real concerns about is old used railway sleepers when I would think about using a liner and get the sleepers from a responsible source. Personally I would just go for new railway sleepers and depending on what they are made of consider the use of the pond liner for the softer woods to preserve them.

    See original post

     thanks 

  • emmamoore85emmamoore85 Posts: 5
    Fairygirl says:

    I'd agree with Ladybird. New sleepers or fencing timber is all pressure treated. You can line with any heavy duty plastic, which mainly helps prolong the life of the wood and retain moisture, as raised beds often drain and dry out more quickly.

     I wouldn't worry otherwise. I've grown edibles in various timber raised beds I've had - often without any liner. I'm still alive to tell the tale  image

    See original post

     Thanks 

  • emmamoore85emmamoore85 Posts: 5
    hogweed says:

    New sleepers are normally pressure treated pine. You can get oak sleepers which are not treated. They are more expensive but it's your choice. Old railway sleepers are a Nono because they are covered in tar and creosote. You'll be fine with new ones. 

    See original post

     Thanks 

  • emmamoore85emmamoore85 Posts: 5
    raisingirl says:

    New pressure treated wood here too. The (rarely mentioned in these debates) downside of untreated wood is it's propensity for growing assorted and uncontrolled forms of fungi and mould. Personally I'm not sure there's much to chose between the pressure treatment chemicals and the mould, in terms of potential health effects, except the mould is 'natural' I suppose. And pressure treated wood is cheaper and easier to get.

    See original post

     Thank 

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