WWIII Victory Garden
(media.greatawakening.win)
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Planters to keep pests and weeds away? Check.
Irrigation nozzles for each planter? Check.
On the peak of a slope so you can avoid swamping and keep the boards dry? Check.
Wholesome family moment teaching kids the benefits of self-sufficiency? Check.
All around, good job!
Awesome! I need to do this. Question, though... is that treated lumber? I happen to have a lot of it that I could use to build boxes, but is it safe? Do the chemicals leach into the soil and thus the plants?
Don't do it. Treated lumber can leach chemicals into the soil.
Soil experts disagree on using copper-treated wood products in a vegetable garden. Some see no serious risk for humans in using them in a vegetable garden, the amount of copper released being minimal and copper being considered essentially nontoxic unless present at extremely high levels. Others think it is safest to err on the side of caution and avoid the use of these woods near food. Health Canada discourages the use of these woods as an edging for an edible garden and accreditation agencies for organic products do not permit the use of wood treated with copper in certified organic vegetable production.
So, should you use copper-treated wood in a raised bed vegetable garden or not? I think it would be wiser to use this product cautiously. If you choose to opt for the convenience and reasonable price of copper-treated wood, that’s your business, but I recommend using non-treated wood, either regular timber even if that means replacing it every 7 to 10 years or, if you are willing to pay top price, one of the rot-resistant woods, like cedar. Plastic lumber is another possibility.
Also, remember that, if it’s just a question of raised beds, you could use bricks, stones or cinder blocks to raise the bed above the surrounding soil. Or you could simply mound the soil and slope the sides, using no containing material whatsoever.
https://laidbackgardener.blog/2017/06/25/is-treated-wood-safe-in-the-vegetable-garden/
Thanks. I thought so, especially based on other research... but I wondered if it was actually possible seeing that it looks like this person used treated lumber. So I was hopeful... but, better to be safe than have a second head.
A lot depends, too, on how old your wood is. Older wood before 2003 could have arsenic in it:
https://nchh.org/information-and-evidence/learn-about-healthy-housing/health-hazards-prevention-and-solutions/arsenic-treated-wood/
Remember: if it can stop rot and bugs, it can probably stop you eventually, too.
Be safe. It's cheaper to replace a raised bed than it is to replace your family.
Not sure about all that. They holdup longer outside. May not be the best.
I just know that when I am cutting it I wear a mask because the chemicals in the dust are cancerous. I wasn't sure about the leaching. That's why I wondered. Thanks for posting.
We are doing raised rows, old world, no till. If it will ever stop raining long enough to get my rows made