Image credit if you re like me you ve wished you could use reclaimed pressure treated lumber for a garden bed to grow food in.
Pressure treated wood for garden beds.
In the 20th century and into the 21st wood was treated by a chemical mix of arsenic chromium and copper.
Infusing the wood with these chemicals allowed it to keep its good condition for a number of years making it the ideal choice for landscaping playgrounds and it seemed garden edging.
Joe mabel wikimedia commons there is a long standing controversy in the field of organic gardening.
Over years the industry in cooperation with government recommendations.
Concerns have focused on the leaching of arsenic from pressure treated wood.
My raised bed vegetable garden beds are all pressure treated lumber now.
However while treated lumber will hold up better over time it can also leach harmful chemicals into your soil.
Lamiot wikimedia commons pressured treated.
Wood that isn t pressure treated tends to rot fairly quickly in contact with the soil.
This deep penetration of the preservatives is what keeps the pressure treated wood from rotting longer than lumber treated with a topical sealant.
Wood that is pressure treated can last many years when in contact with concrete and dirt where other wood would begin to rot.
Gardeners have used pressure treated wood for decades in raised beds and as posts but on december 31 2003 the environmental protection agency epa banned the sale of lumber treated with chromated copper arsenate cca for residential use.
Pressure treating wood saturates wood under pressure with a chemical preservative.
Yes the new pressure treated wood is safe for use for raised garden frames.
Here s what i know.
Yes you can use pressure treated lumber for your raised garden beds homeowners ask if it is safe to use treated lumber for garden vegetable beds.
The safety of pressure treated lumber for raised bed gardens has been examined by several researchers.
While there is scientific consensus that it is safe to use for garden and vegetable beds the information below explains what chemicals are used in viance ground contact treated wood for residential.
Pressure treated lumber is used for fence posts garden beds decking playground equipment and many other structures that are either partially below ground or have significant exposure to the elements.
Many new gardeners and even experienced ones turn to treated lumber when sourcing materials for raised beds due to its added protection against moisture and the associated rot and bug damage.
With a few precautions.
Is pressure treated lumber safe for a garden.
Up until 2003 the most common preservative used for pressure treated wood was chromated copper arsenate cca a compound using arsenic as its primary rot protectant.
From what i ve seen the consensus is that the chemicals do leach out of the wood into the soil and are uptaken by the plants in very small amounts.
For those who choose not to use pressure treated lumber.