Raised Tomato beds

Is the new pressure treated wood safe to use for raised vegetables beds?

Thanks for the help

Larry

Re: Raised Tomato beds

It is safer than the old (no arsenic, just copper).

There is probably more health risk from potential accidents growing and cooking the tomatoes.

Re: Raised Tomato beds

You could grow tomatoes using hydroponics which is very popular around here but you could run the risk of drowning!

Re: Raised Tomato beds

Not a problem. This is not uncommon.
I have four raised vegetable beds all surrounded by PT lumber.
For soil, I mix 1/3 sand, 1/3 manure, 1/3 dirtl and add my fireplace ashes all winter.
Make sure you use the proper fasteners. They will fail within months otherwise.

Re: Raised Tomato beds

The new pressure treated lumber has a tendency to leach a lot more than old PT, but it doesn't have the arsenic.

With that said and as a Master Gardener it always suggest that you line the sides, even if you use redwood, with 6 ml black plastic. It keeps the wood in good condition longer. I have had beds that are 10 years old that I moved and the 4x4's look brand new (well a little grayer).

I also suggest you put gopher wire at bottom if gophers are in your neck of the woods.

Re: Raised Tomato beds

ebry710 said:

The new pressure treated lumber has a tendency to leach a lot more than old PT, but it doesn't have the arsenic.

With that said and as a Master Gardener it always suggest that you line the sides, even if you use redwood, with 6 ml black plastic. It keeps the wood in good condition longer. I have had beds that are 10 years old that I moved and the 4x4's look brand new (well a little grayer).

I also suggest you put gopher wire at bottom if gophers are in your neck of the woods.

Click to expand...

If you bury a piece of paper in soil that is in good condition and alive, it will be digested in a week or so. That's the destructive pressure on both the wood and fasteners of the container. Lining is a good idea.

Re: Raised Tomato beds

I'm sure using pressure treated lumber for a raised bed is WAAAAAAY safer than using cresote railroad crossties. Thats what people used before there was treated lumber. My grandfather raised the biggest and best tomatoes I've ever seen along with many other veggies in 16 raised beds made of crossties filled in with cotton gin trash. He retired from the Illinois Central Railroad and crossties were plentiful. He built his beds up 3 to 4 ties high so he wouldnt have to stoop over to pick anything.....and before anybody starts screaming and crying about how dangerous cresote is you should know he lived to be 98 years old and my grandmother (his wife) lived to 101. Both of them ate veggies out of those beds till the day they passed. I'm not afraid to use crossties or pressure treated lumber. I'd rather use crossties so they will last longer.

Re: Raised Tomato beds

There used top be a member called "Tomatolord".
Where is Tomatolord when you need him?