Raised Wood Plank Beds...will these survive?

I wanted to use wood for the raised vegetable beds I planned but since hardwood is prohibitively expensive here I have used softwood. These are planks measuring four meters by 20 cm and the thickness is 6 cm. Now I am wondering if these will last, and whether I should treat these. Any ideas? I am very close to putting on a coat of old hardwood finish that I have left over from the shed. This is not the look I really want so I would really appreciate some input.


Thanks

Viqar

Hi Viqar,

I made my raised beds out of "construction timber" here which is pine, so also softwood. I used "deck stain" on them and I did it in a semi-transparent green colour, which is nice for me because it makes them blend in more, with everything else that is green! I know that they will not last as long as cedar or redwood, which are rot resistant, but it was a lot cheaper. Also, I used staple gun to staple heavy plastic liners to the inside of all the boards before I filled the raised beds with soil. I think this will at least provide a little extra help in extending their lifespan.

I'm envious when you say the thickness is 6 cm. That's really thick. It should last longer than mine, which are only about 3.5 cm thick.

Here is a picture of one of my raised beds. It's not very interesting because it was being used as a perennial holding bed last year, but at least it is close enough so you can see the stain and also the plastic liner.

Claire

I use a nontoxic mixture of paraffin, linseed oil and turpentine to treat my raised bed lumber.

Thanks Claire

That looks like a very nice bed. How much sun do you get in this area?
I am interested in the weathered wood look. I am tempted to put the wood in as it is, not sure if that's a good idea though.

Zeppy
That's the kind of treatment I am looking for. The problem is you can't get linseed oil around here. I have a wood stainer for outdoor finish, I might use that. Just a thought, could I use just tarpentine mixed with a bit of Paraffin? I'd really like to see how your finish came out. Would it be possible to put a picture up?

Thanks

Viqar

Viqar,

That area is full sun all day long. I think the weathered wood would be a nice look, but I knew with the pine that I wasn't likely to be able to have that for very long. I think it might end up that I have to replace the boards every 3-4 years because they will rot, but I will see how it goes. The beds are more full with soil now than when that picture was taken - it goes to the top edge. I also put bark mulch on the surface. That helps keep the moisture in since the sun is so strong there.

Claire

Viquar, I can take a picture of the bed for you, but it wasn't a finish at all: the wood (white pine) stayed pretty much the same color, maybe a shade darker. Not shiny at all. Just a pest and rot-repellent treatment. But it smelled lovely!

I don't expect this bed to last forever; certainly not as long as the asparagus patch it holds. But I can replace pieces of wood at a time w/ little trouble.

I made 2 raised beds this year using concrete blocks, 2 high....makes a perfect size for working the bed,,,,,they're each about 40 inches wide and 18 feet long.... Very efficient for containing the dirt, and watering only the garden area. They are not cemented together so if they need to be moved, just a little leg work. They are a total of 24 inches deep so it gives plenty of root room.... I live in the city on a mobile home lot so don't have a lot of ground to work with. sometimes you can even find the colored block to make it prettier.....

Thats a good idea faronell. Maybe I will try that one this year because I want a couple more "quick" raised beds. I started too many tomatoes and I need another place to put them!

CMoxon, have you considered the straw bale idea?

I have been reading about it Zeppy, although that string got rather long to load so I've been off it for a while. I was just lurking in there. I haven't tried it. I'm not sure that I have the time now to do the treatment of the bales because I want to plant the tomatoes this weekend, and also I'm wondering how my dog would be with them. He's a retired racing greyhound who likes to do laps of the yard, so if the bales are not made to be very stationary, they will go flying. I would have to enclose them in some sort of barrier. I'd also have to find a place to buy straw bales, never having actually seen any for sale. Although this is Iowa, one would think it should be possible to find them.

Thanks everyone!

I ended up using a non toxic outdoor finish and finished the beds this weekend. I'll upload some pictures for you :)

Thanks again

Viqar