raised bed garden lumber

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AU_Prospector

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15 years ago I could walk into a Home Depot and buy all the Redwood and Cedar planks I wanted. Now a days....

Anyway, I am looking to build raised bed gardens and have settled on either a composite (plastic with wood fibers mixed in used for decking come in 1" x 6" at Home Boy Depot) or cedar planks (1" x 6" or 1" x 8") mysteriously only found at 84 Lumber 30 miles away.

The Cedar is actually cheaper per foot than the plastic composite. Anyone had experience with this? Is this a thick enough cedar board to contain everything? Will the composite withstand being exposed to constantly wet soil?

Thanks for the help.
Prospector
 
So you want a raised garden.
materials don't need to be new ya know...you could check out the local landfill for boards folks get rid of.
As far as cedar goes ,it is nice, but you need at least 1 1/2 inch material to hold the soil. The composite has minimal strength, it is always in need of support or it bends easily.
Me, I would look around, even Doug fir will last 10 years before you need to change it out. By then you may want a new garden anyway.
Some old oak would be great, or some logs, just peel off the bark, they will last a while also.

Seal the ends of the wood, it will last longer.
Have fun with it, be creative.:D
 
Gardening by the Yard recommends using plastic sheeting on the interior, so the moisture wouldn't be as much of an issue. I'm going to be scrounging for materials on my first try, since I know I'll be relandscaping that area next year anyway. I'd agree to try the bed with something reasonable for now - you may find you want it higher, longer, etc. Then you can make it permanent. I also saw some REALLY cool corner holders for the boards on GBTY, didn't find them at Home Depot or Lowe's though.
 
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