[Greenbuilding] best lumber for raised vegetable beds

[Ron Cascio]

The heartwood of Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperous Virginiana) is very rot 
resistant, and has been used around here for fence post for centuries (not 
that the wood has lasted that long, it's just the wood of choice along with 
Black locust). It does not split well and must he sawn.

Before cutting one down realize that more species in NA rely on ERC for food 
and shelter than any other tree species.

Ron



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lawrence Lile" <LLile at projsolco.com>
To: "Green Building" <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 4:15 PM
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] best lumber for raised vegetable beds


> Do you mean Cedar, as in Eastern Red Cedar, the common Midwest Weed tree 
> which will sprout up in any abandoned field?  I was wondering how that 
> stuff lasts in earth contact.  I have the same problem, needing to build 
> garden beds, and I also have a lot of cedar trees that need thinning. 
> Although they provide cover for wildlife, they provide little else, and 
> they shade out any native plants underneath, making a cedar monoculture. A 
> few of them are a good thing, but a grove of them is not what I would call 
> a healthy woods, and I have a grove.  Used the four biggest ones as beams 
> in my house.
>
> I wonder if Cedar will split into rails well?
>
>
> --Lawrence Lile,
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org 
>> [mailto:greenbuilding-
>> bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of William R Bloom
>> Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 10:22 AM
>> To: Green Building
>> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] best lumber for raised vegetable beds
>>
>> I have used cedar before, its good.  It was readily
>> available in the midwest.  Here in New Mexico, you find
>> primarily redwood at the home stores, considerably more
>> expensive.  I have used regular dimensional lumber before.
>>  Here the home stores stock douglas fir or even better,
>> hemlock fir lumber.  I would consider those grades if you
>> can get them over spruce-pine-fir (spf).  Southern yellow
>> pine, a favorite of the treatment industry, is stout wood
>> and resists the harsh pressure chemical treatment process,
>> but I have found unless you have the lumber restrained, it
>> ends up resembling a pigs tail after it seasons.
>>
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