Very serious question about treated wood

[4grandbabies]

I remember this subject being addressed on here sometime in the past, but dont know if my exact concerns were brought up..cant find the old link.
We moved here a year ago, and we are reestablishing everything.
I can remember for a very long time, that I know you dont use old railroad ties or treated lumber for raised beds because of arsnic and other seepage,
I dont know if it was a brain glitch (not what most call them) but I did something stupid last fall.
We have a new electric pole set in our front yard. I thought I would be smart and grow a flower bed around it to beautify that area. so we worked hard, used top soil etc, and made this lovely deep bed, then one day my blueberry order arrived, For reasons I can not understand, I thought ,why not, it would be a great place to put them, and the dirt is already prepared, so to make an already too long story shorter, we planted out blueperry plants in that bed. They are only a few feet away from the pole, and being a new pole, I can even see where some of the "oil" or whatever had run into the ground around it. My question is how far will this spread out into the soil, how dangerous will they be if we eat them,they are loaded with blooms.
HELP!!! If I move them, will they have already have a heavy uptake in the plant?

 

[boggybranch]

Maybe this will help........maybe

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0813991.html

 

[4grandbabies]

Maybe this will help........maybe

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0813991.html

Uh-oh this did not sound good. Nothing near the pole is dying, in fact plants 2 feet away are thriving, but I an still scared, I am not worried about the plants but their consumption, and it dont sound worth it. I would like to transplant them, In new soil(if they live) If they have an uptake of toxins, the plants dont show it, but I would have no way of knowing how it would affect the berries even if they are moved.
Thanks boogybranch for replying
Wish I had a better understanding of all this.

 

[4grandbabies]

I have spent all evening trying to research this topic. Now I am more confused than ever. I found information from an enviormental agency in Va(I am from MO) and another from a site called all experts.com-hope its not illegal to quote from them .. they both say eating from the plants are not that dangerous, I dont feel comfortable leaving the plants there, but if I transplant them maybe I can save them:
quoted:
"Old railroad ties are frequently used to build raised beds or to terrace slopes. This wood has been treated with creosote, a product derived from coal. Creosote has certainly proven itself as wood preservative over a long period, but because it is toxic and because it has become a restricted-use pesticide, questions have arisen about its safe use around plants.

Creosote can volatilize into the air, especially during hot weather, and plant foliage in the vicinity of the ties may be damage by the vapors. It can also leach into the soil near the ties, but it will not be absorbed by the roots and will therefore not get into the plants' tissues.

When using railroad ties for raised beds or similar areas, avoid putting plants too close to the wood. Keeping plants three of four inches away should prevent damage. Also, don't ever use creosote-treated wood in interior locations such as greenhouses, since the vapors will damage or kill plants in them."

 

[patandchickens]

Enh, personally I wouldn't worry about it. I see no evidence that makes me think that old creosoted wood is likely to result in meaningful concentrations of anything bad in the tissues of plants growing nearby (esp. shallow-rooted plants like beans). It's a personal choice of course, but particularly since it's just a few bean plants (not like the mainstay of your diet) I myself would leave them there and eat them when it's time.

JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Grow 4 Food]

For what it is worth we had a raised bed when I was going up that contained our strawberry plants. I can remember many many many strawberry pie, shortcakes, and fresh cut on ice cream growing up. Still here, Still kicking. Heck I can remember getting in trouble for sitting in the middle of the patch at about 5 yr old and jst eating them (i was smashing berries and plants).

It is good to think about that kind of thing - not good to over think it.

"Life is better when you eat a little dirt now and then" - My Grandma

 

[gapeachy]

I too worry about a load of about 100 rail road ties my husband brought home from work and we had them in a pile in our backyard well we live on a hill and my garden is far away from them but I worried about rain water run off....anyway that was last year and the garden did great this year the cross ties are moved so I dont know...

 

[boggybranch]

I know a lot of gardeners, including myself, who have used old railroad ties for raised beds with absolutely no ill effects. Of course, when you get old ties, they have been on the rail lines long enough to lose the vast majority of damaging creosote, I suspect. I think that I would only be concerned with the pole, if it was a fresh treated pole or if the plants showed any reaction to it.
Wish I could get my hands on a load of old railroad ties (key word....old).....I'd redo all my raised beds with them.

 

[gapeachy]

I did not use them in raised beds or anywhere near my garden but used them in my flower garden by the driveway and we used them for a holding wall and also corner post for then goat fencing they really came in handy...

 

[digitS']

I don't like wood treated with wood preservative in a growing area altho' I have 1 support in my greenhouse against the floor and there is a row of railroad ties (very old) between my shady vegetable corner and a driveway.

Nothing much comes in contact with the 4 by 4 in the greenhouse and I leave the soil in the garden near the old railroad ties alone, except for pulling weeds.

4grandbabies, here is something from the University of Missouri on raised bed gardening. Scroll down about half way to read what they say about preserved wood, creosote and railroad ties.

Steve
who uses searches with "site:.edu" to find information from land-grant universities. We pay these guys and gals to inform us, may as well take advantage of their expertise .