Is using pressure treated wood bad for raised beds?

[trunkman]

I built two four by twelve foot raised beds with pressure treated wood and then realized that treated wood was supposed to be bad for raised beds because the chemicals could seep into the soil so I added felt paper to the inside and then added the soil to prevent the seepage. Anyway, now I want to make more raised beds and don't know where to get the right wood to build raised beds that last more than a year or two. I guess lots of people use redwood but I don't know where to get it. Is there an alternative wood I can use, Home Depot and Lowes don't seem to carry redwood. Any help would be appreciated. :/

 

[beavis]

pressure treated wood is HORRIBLE for raised beds because it contains cancer-causing chemicals.

I use Doug fir for my raised beds. Untreated.

They are holding up nicely after six years....

 

[boggybranch]

Depends......the old bright green, treated is the bad stuff (if there IS any left) but the treatment they use now is alright to use.

 

[trunkman]

Depends......the old bright green, treated is the bad stuff (if there IS any left) but the treatment they use now is alright to use.

Nice to hear that, I bought and built the beds about a month ago.

 

[Andy J]

I used weathered old pressure treated wood for my raised beds.In Mississippi,termites will eat up anything that's not treated in a year.

Andy

 

[lesa]

I firmly hold the belief that anything you grow in your yard- under almost any conditions, is way better than what you buy in the grocery store! I have read many articles on this subject and it seems if the chemicals leach out of the wood, they stay within a few inches of the wood. So, if you are worried try not to plant right up to the edge of your bed- which you probably wouldn't do anyway.
Many gardeners won't even use treated fence posts. I say, enjoy your new beds!

 

[AmyRey]

I think someone here posted that they had made their beds out of Trex (plastic boards that look like wood).

Trex is VERY expensive, but should last ... gosh ... decades.

 

[lesa]

I can get landscaping timbers for less than 2 bucks a piece... pretty compelling.

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

I used pressure treated wood also. Landscape timbers are $1.97 here.

 

[i_am2bz]

I think someone here posted that they had made their beds out of Trex (plastic boards that look like wood).

Trex is VERY expensive, but should last ... gosh ... decades.

That may have been me. DH got some cheap from a neighbor who had some left over from a project. So far I have 3 large & 3 small beds out of it.

I sure hope it last decades! Maybe I'll post pix one of these days.