What Wood Is Best For Building A Raised Garden Bed?
One of the biggest mistakes a lot of beginner gardeners make with raised garden beds is choosing the wrong wood.
You can not just use any type of wood you have stored in the yard or at home depot.
There are special types of woods chosen specifically to build garden-raised beds because of many factors including rot.
However, It is always best to use wood that will withstand obstacles such as weather and moisture.
Cedarwood and Redwood are the most common wood people use to build their raised garden beds.
It is also possible to use treated lumber if you use the new varieties. However, the older types can be hard on some plants.
The best-recommended wood to use for raised garden beds is cedar and redwood.
and Also you can still line your planter with a liner box or make a liner with heavy plastic to prevent the constant contact of soil-water and fertilizer with the wood.
Why Use Cedarwood For Raised Garden Bed?
Cedar is a good choice raised bed garden because it is naturally decay-resistant and does not harbor insects such as termites.
Apart from Cedarwood, I would avoid using treated wood, especially creosote-treated wood because I am not sure how it will affect the plants.
Types Of Wood To Use When Building A Raised Bed Garden
Apart from cedarwood, redwood and black locust is the best choice for raised garden beds.
Why?
Well, this is because these types of wood offer longevity and are naturally resistant to rot, and have been known to last for around (15 – 20 years).
However, the downside is that they are very expensive.
The prices for these types of wood will cost around 3 – 4 times than normal types of wood you can find at home depot.
However, apart from this, you can also use Cedarwood which is not cheap either.
Just as redwood and black locust cedar are also one of the best resistant to rot and can last for 10-15 years while retaining their amazing look.
Cedarwood is expensive however a little less cheap than Redwood.
Another type of wood for a garden-raised box is called Douglas Fir.
This type of wood can last up to (5 – 7 years) and this is the cheapest of all the types of wood used for raised garden boxes.
Douglas Fir wood is the most affordable option for raised beds. However, this is solely based on your pocket and budget, you can choose the most suitable type of wood for your needs.
Pressure Treated Pine For Garden Raised Box
Pressure-treated pine wood probably holds up better than cedarwood when in contact with the soil and moisture.
Cedarwood works best for gardeners with a liner up off the ground, however, it would rot away in a few years if it was in continuous contact with dirt and moisture.
However, when it comes to Pressure-treated lumber, contains a fungicide substance that prevents rot.
Apart from popular belief, the pressure-treated wood it’s perfectly safe for use in raised vegetable gardens.
In fact, modern pressure-treated lumber doesn’t contain arsenic like it used to.
The pressure-treated wood fungicides used today are much safer. Also, the amount that could leach into the soil and be taken up by the plants poses no danger to humans.
Am currently am using some cheap untreated pine wood because it was on sale.
However, if you are into raised bed garden for the long term/haul, the lifetime best material to use is a cinder block, concrete, or stone block.
Conclusion
Pinewood may hold up for some time, however, if treated with natural oils, it can also resist bugs and deterioration.
Vegetables such as garlic and onions will resist bugs quite well too.
For me, base on past experience with all these types of woods used for garden-raised boxes, I wouldn’t just use wood at all.
In the past few years, I have learned that cement board like HardiBoard siding is durable and easy to use, and pocket wise costs only a little more than natural rot-resistant wood.
But, it is worth the investment. So, I hope you have a better understanding of what wood is best for building a raised garden bed?
