stayconscious
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Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:12 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN

Wood for raised beds

I am planting enough veggies to fill 5 raised garden beds. I am doing everything organically. I have found some free old fencing that I am considering using for the frames of the beds. I'm not sure if its been treated or not, but I DO know that it is around 20 years old. She said they have used some of it to burn in their fireplace in their home, and they haven't smelled any fumes.

If it is treated, do you think it would effect the veggies even though it is so old? And even so, would I be able to put some black plastic lining in between the soil and wood?

Any input is greatly appreciated :D

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hendi_alex
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Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina

I aways line between the lumber and the boards. It would seem to me that lining with plastic would minimize any possible contamination. However, if your wood is 20 years old and is treated, then it will have been treated with the really nasty arsenic compounds. It is my understanding that those compounds don't leach out much until the wood gets pretty old, so that IMO would spell double trouble for using your free boards. You may want to consider researching the issue a bit more.

One simple test is to burn a small splint of the wood. If the wood burns with a green tint to the flame then the wood is treated. The old treated wood was treated with a copper arsenic compound and when copper is burned it gives a green cast to a flame. BTW, burning is one of the most dangerous things that can be done with treated wood as it releases the arsenic compound.

Here is an overview that you may want to read as a starting point.

https://www.origen.net/arsenic.html

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BrianSkilton
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Location: South Dakota

Does anyone know where you can get untreated wood? Or is getting treated wood and using plastic to stop contamination a better way to go?

cynthia_h
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Location: El Cerrito, CA

I got some used shelving last year and some used 2 x 12s from my local FreeCyclers. No preservatives; no plastic. The boxes will probably last at least 5 years; not a bad return for my "investment"! :D

And if the 2 x 12 boxes last 10 years, it'll be absolutely great.

The first use of these boxes was gradually being stacked on top of each other for a big potato box. Those were incredibly *yummy* potatoes!

Now they're three one-layer boxes with kale, rapini (broccoli raab), peas, spinach, chard, carrots, beets, and the like in them. I also planted some chunks of a volunteer Yukon Gold just to see if I'd get anything. No word yet.

So go to www.freecycle.org and see if there are some FreeCycle lists/groups near where you live.

Good luck!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9



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