It may also include some of that arsenic if cca lumber is used.
Treated lumber for garden boxes.
With a few precautions.
108 products in raised garden beds.
Eden 44 in w x 48 in l x 48 in h wood raised garden bed.
Solubility of cr and cu is greatly reduced in neutral soils.
Yes you can use treated lumber for your raised vegetable garden beds.
Pressure treated lumber is an option.
The concern is that the chemicals that are used to treat the lumber can leach into the soil.
Yes the new pressure treated wood is safe for use for raised garden frames.
The water they drink through their roots contains minerals and nutrients.
Plants take up nutrients through their root system.
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.
Cover cca treated wood used for raised garden beds or borders with heavy plastic to prevent contact with garden soil.
Why would it not be safe.
Alternatively you could build the frame of your vegetable garden with pressure treated wood acq or cba then cover the inner wall with a sheet of plastic so that no copper from the wood ever touches the soil it contains.
Image credit if you re like me you ve wished you could use reclaimed pressure treated lumber for a garden bed to grow food in.
Homeowners ask if it is safe to use treated lumber for garden beds.
Stands window boxes raised garden beds.
Pressure treated lumber has been a controversial topic for many years.
Up until 2003 the most common preservative used for pressure treated wood was chromated copper arsenate cca a compound using arsenic.
Wood that is pressure treated can last many years when in contact with concrete and dirt where other wood would begin to rot.
When cca treated lumber touches the soil and water drenches the wood over time the compound breaks down and leaches or drips into the soil.
Maintain soil ph in the near neutral range ph 6 7.
Many organic gardeners use this combination and feel fully comfortable with the result.