Recently I’ve talked with several friends who were using treated wood to border their organic gardens. NOOOOOOOO!!!!
Bordering an organic garden with pesticide impregnated wood is a risk I’m not willing to take. Pressure-Treated Wood can leach pesticides into the soil and potentially into your food. Most people don’t think about how wood is made to be rot resistant. This lumber is treated by impregnating the entire dimension of the board with chromated copper arsenate.
But don’t believe me, read what the Environmental Protection Agency has to say about it.
Inorganic arsenic penetrates deeply into and remains in the pressure-treated wood for a long time. However, some chemical may migrate from treated wood into surrounding soil over time and may also be dislodged from the wood surface upon contact with skin. Exposure to inorganic arsenic may present certain hazards.
Read more EPA information about Pressure-Treated Wood.
So PLEASE don’t border your garden with this type of wood, it’s like lining your vegetable garden with poisons. A much better choice would be rocks or steel. I prefer rocks! See my short video below.
Here are a couple other articles from Fine Gardening on this topic.
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I remember our neighbor out in Blanco years ago who told us that her first and second husband had both died of throat cancer. I don’t remember if they smoked, but I do remember she said they loved to garden and they used railroad ties as a border. I would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to food your are going to be ingesting. Nice post honey!
This is a really good post. I’ve been reading a fascinating book, “The Truth about Organic Gardening” by Jeff Gillman. He really lays out the “benefits, drawbacks, and the bottom line” when it comes to using chemical or organic alternatives. It was surprising to learn that some chemicals aren’t as bad as I thought and some organic methods are not so good. I’m with you on the pressure treated lumber and railroad ties. I wouldn’t put either in my garden. I am trying to figure out how to grow a “Hot Pocket” plant ;)