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Using old pressure treated wood for vegetable garden?
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Posted by zenshack 7/8 (My Page) on Mon, Feb 8, 10 at 18:04
| Hi,
I wanted to get some opinions on this.
I have a stack of old pressure treated 2x4's that I was thinking of building a raised vegetable garden with. These planks were originally part of my neighbours deck for almost 30 years and have spent the last few months in my garage drying out.
How much of a threat is there of any remaining chemicals in this old wood leaching into my garden soil. Will lining it with plastic help? What do you suggest?
Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Using old pressure treated wood for vegetable garden?
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| If it is that old and has been outside for 30 years there is no problem. I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Lining with plastic only creates more problems IMO. Dave |
RE: Using old pressure treated wood for vegetable garden?
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| I agree with Dave. Most treated wood claims a 20 year shelf life. Plastic is definitely not a good idea, though. Mike |
RE: Using old pressure treated wood for vegetable garden?
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| I was only going to use the plastic to line the sides of the box, not the bottom. The idea was to slow/ reduce the rate the box would rot. Someone else suggested to me to line the walls of the box with tar paper to keep the soil from contacting the wood. All comments are welcome, thanks |
RE: Using old pressure treated wood for vegetable garden?
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| I was watching a gardening show on TV once, and they mentioned staining/painting pressure treated wood is an additonal measure you can take to help seal in any chemicals. |
RE: Using old pressure treated wood for vegetable garden?
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| Tar paper leaching would be as bad as PT wood leaching. ;) And the plastic will decay quickly and tear and cause drainage problems. Wood will eventually rot no matter what you do so just stick with the plain wood or slap a coat of paint on it (it will flake off over time). Dave |
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