Picture the scene : a adorable garden filled withtidy raise bed , each carry a different character of vegetable , herbaceous plant , flower , etc . Grass and stone pavers line the path between the bed .
It ’s picturesque and beautiful .
But expect … are those bed made with pressure - treated baseball bat ? You might assume the answer is yes , since atmospheric pressure - treat baseball bat is more resistant to rot and crumble than untreated baseball bat . This makes it suitable for outdoor expression .
However , treat lumber is n’t completely resistant to rot . And over clock time the cloth used to pressure - goody timber ( arsenic , fuzz , etc . ) can leach into the dirt and lift up in the nutrient chain . Plant roots are often where these metals become hard , so root vegetables like potatoes and carrots are obviously susceptible to leaching .
But even the leaves of plant life like lettuce and spinach plant can be affected .
The near tidings is , you do n’t have to build up your garden beds out of imperativeness - treated baseball bat . There are many types of wood that are course resistant to rot , moisture , and/or insects , make them indestructible and suited for use in gardens .
If you ’re looking to maneuver clear of using treat baseball bat for your raised garden beds , we have you covered . The survey five woods are of course long - survive and idealistic for building raise garden beds :
1. Cedar
Cedaris widely used in outside construction . If you want to shingle your roof in wood , cedar shingles are a all right selection .
In addition to being durable , cedar tree wood has a lovely visual aspect and a pleasant aroma . So true cedar furniture is a dear manner to appreciate its qualities . And yes , you’re able to build or buy raised garden beds made from cedar wood .
Read more : lowly farms hold a riches of treasure in on - site woodlots !
2. Osage Orange
The wood of the Osage Orange tree is fantastically severely and therefore durable when used outdoors .
Janka ratings measure the hardness of different wood types . Whereas well - fuck hardwood like oak and maples fall in the 1,200 - 1,500 grasp , Osage Orange is up in the 2,000s . Driving nails into Osage Orange woods is n’t easy , but if you ’re looking for a tough wood for make raised garden layer , you ’ve found it .
3. Black Locust
Black Locust wood has long been valued for fence military post and railway line affiliation because it can resist rotting for decades . Like Osage Orange , it ’s very operose wood ( gruelling than maple and oak ) well - suit to building raised garden beds .
Read more : quick to build a kindle bed ? Here ’s how .
4. Redwood
Redwood is yet another tone wood resistant to molder and insect pests . In addition , it ’s adorable in visual aspect with attractive grain , tote up a decorative touch to your garden .
If possible , shop for lumber made from the duramen . This perform better than the sapwood .
5. Teak
Teak is n’t aboriginal to North America . It really arise in the southern and southeastern region of Asia . But its oily wood is strong and resistant to waste and insects , fix it pop for a wide variety of outside construction projects .
Of course , these are n’t the only types of wood suitable for building untreated raised garden beds . If you do n’t mind replacing the beds on a semi - even groundwork , even wood that dilapidate after a few years can be used .
But if you opt to build garden beds from one of these five hardy Grant Wood , you ’ll be investing in long - lasting timber without any need to care about chemical discourse . That sounds like a win - win result !
