0 Building Raised Garden Beds

 

When I started planning our garden for this year I knew that I wanted to do raise beds. What I didn't know was the material I wanted to make it out of. I was open to whatever ideas I could find on pinterest and that were available in the local store. I figured we would go with wood because it is the cheapest option but when we got to the first store I discovered that they did not have FSC wood in the size we needed. They also did not have any cedar in stock. We continued to have no luck at all the other stores we went to.

Stone

Stone can be a great option because it will last a long time but it is expensive and most likely will require glue or an adhesive to install. 

Pressure Treated Wood

Pressure treated wood is going to stand up to the weather but it is treated with loads of toxins and for us this was a deal breaker. We didn't want anything like this in our vegetable garden. 

Rubber Edging

There are products on the market that are made from recycled tires. It is interesting and makes you think that it is an eco option because it is made from recycled materials. But come on people...it is made from tires...tires that are toxic. No way did I want this product anywhere near food we would be eating.

Non Treated Wood

This is where you will most likely find FSC wood but unfortunately since it is not treated it is not going to last. We learned that most likely we would need to completely replace and rebuild our gardens every 2-3 years if we went with non treated wood. That is a waste of time, energy and materials.

Cedar Wood

Cedar will stand up to the weather but it is very hard to find FSC. In fact I have never seen FSC cedar wood! Cedar is also not treated with chemicals as it naturally repels moisture.

In the end we found some cedar wood and Joe used them to build 2 raised beds. The easiest way to make them is to not worry about making perfect miter cuts. Instead put posts in the corners and screw the wood right into those. It will also give your beds some stability!

What is your garden made from? How did you pick what to use?

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