Readers have noticed that our raised beds are made from commercial lumber which is chemically treated.
Building raised garden beds with pressure treated wood.
Acq is supposed to be somewhat safe.
You can use treated lumber to build your raised garden beds.
The newest method for treating wood is micronized copper quaternary mcq.
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.
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.
I also use some pressure treated wood for various garden structures including large raised beds.
Treated wood predating 2003 is not recommended for raised bed gardening due to the risk of chemicals being leached into 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.
The wood that people worry about leaching chemicals into the soil is cca chromated copper arsenate pressure treated wood or old railway ties.
Before we designed our urban garden i did quite a bit of research on the various options for garden construction materials.
Raised beds are a smart option for.
Here s why we decided on pressure treated wood for raised beds.
There s still a lot of controvery about using treated wood for vegetable gardens.
This type of treated wood was banned years ago for household use.
I know cca is out.
You can read more about it below.
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.
There was a time when pressure treated lumber contained arsenic cca and was not considered safe for use in raised vegetable gardens because the arsenic leached out into the soil.
Please give me a heads up on treatment options for lumber.
Cca treated wood containing copper chromium and arsenic is no longer available for residential use as of 2004.
Most people who intend to grow edible plants in their garden such as vegetables opt to line the raised bed with plastic.
Any wood harvested before 2003 could have been sprayed with cca and might not be a safe choice for your raised bed.
When using treated lumber lining your raised garden bed can put your mind at ease that chemicals will not be leaching into the plants that you eat.
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 use and the results of numerous scientific studies.
In 2003 wood treated with cca or chromatid copper arsenate was banned in the united states.
Bountiful harvest from your raised bed garden this content is accurate and true to the best of the author s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.