Pressure Treated Wood Raised Garden Bed

Joe mabel wikimedia commons there is a long standing controversy in the field of organic gardening.

Pressure treated wood raised garden bed. But i fear attracting termites with untreated wood. Raised vegetable bed with treated wood. Arsenic copper and chromium levels found in the vegetables grown in raised beds made from pressure treated wood were the same as conventionally grown vegetables purchased from a grocery store. Romaine lettuce grown in pots with soil in which small amounts of compounds such as arsenic were also tested to see how much of the chemical would be.

Gardeners have used pressure treated wood for decades in raised beds and as posts but on december 31 2003 the environmental protection agency epa banned the sale of lumber treated with chromated copper arsenate cca for residential use. From what i ve seen the consensus is that the chemicals do leach out of the wood into the soil and are uptaken by the plants in very small amounts. Stephen in huntingdon valley pa. With a few precautions.

Concerns have focused on the leaching of arsenic from pressure treated wood. The safety of pressure treated lumber for raised bed gardens has been examined by several researchers. Wood that isn t pressure treated tends to rot fairly quickly in contact with the soil. Over years the industry in cooperation with government recommendations.

Yes you can use pressure treated lumber for your raised garden beds homeowners ask if it is safe to use treated lumber for garden vegetable beds. While there is scientific consensus that it is safe to use for garden and vegetable beds the information below explains what chemicals are used in viance ground contact treated wood for residential. Yes the new pressure treated wood is safe for use for raised garden frames. I am concerned about using pressure treated wood around my veggies because of the arsenic.

Wood treated with chromated copper arsenate or cca can leach toxic. The safety of pressure treated wood for garden beds depends on what preservative was used to treat the wood. Is the new pressure treated nature wood safe to use as a framing material for a raised bed vegetable garden. Up until 2003 the most common preservative used for pressure treated wood was chromated copper arsenate cca a compound using arsenic as its primary rot protectant.

We would also like to know about non. Pressure treated lumber is used for fence posts garden beds decking playground equipment and many other structures that are either partially below ground or have significant exposure to the elements. This deep penetration of the preservatives is what keeps the pressure treated wood from rotting longer than lumber treated with a topical sealant.