Composite materials for raised beds?

9 years ago

I'm changing my in-ground garden to raised beds this winter and the DH insists that no wood touches dirt, so I'm wondering what composite type materials are out there, what safety issues they might present and how well they work.

I'm specifically thinking of hardiplank (cement siding,) cement backing board or composite decking, but I'm wondering what else may be out there as an option.

Anybody got any experience or thoughts with materials like this?

Comments (4)

grubby_AZ Tucson Z9
9 years ago
Could you explain why no wood can touch dirt? Wood works really well.
subk3
Original Author
9 years ago
Wood touching dirt gets wet, eventually rots and attracts termites.

DH builds and maintains living communities for a national company and doesn't want to see rot--drives him crazy. It may be a personal thing, but his good qualities outweigh the weird ticks and I love him enough to humor him on the little things. So, I'm stuck with something composite, rock or "other."

For the record I'm going to raise beds so I can get some sort of visual order and physical organization in place. They don't need to be very tall as I've got good clay soil that is great when amended with compost of which I have an abundant supply of. I want more of a demarcation between "bed" and "path" as oppose to a container for soil.

Ideas?
digdirt2
9 years ago
Yeah it's his personal thing. Not all wood rots when it gets wet. Redwood, cedar, cypress to name just a few come to mind.

Personally I would much rather have wood in contact with my food crops than many of the composite materials with their additives leaching into the soil.

But many have posted pics here of very attractive raised beds made from cement blocks. I'd consider those before going with any of the other composites.

If all else fails, nothing says raised beds have to be framed in with anything. Very attractive and neat raised beds can be built just by creating slightly elevated soil mounds with a slightly trenched edge or using landscaping edging..

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Raised beds pics
planatus
9 years ago
Since you don't want the beds very high, I'd look at some of the kits that use hollow plastic boards. They are lightweight and affordable, and people love them.

Twenty years ago I made some beds with decking planks, and one of them is still with me (others left behind in a move). The planks weather a bit, but they do not rot. You can get corner connectors at Home Depot, etc.