Raised Garden Planter / Bed Seeking Advice

[toolbelt diva]

I'd like to make two 4' x 8' raised planters for the yard and came across these Lowes plans: http://lowescreativeideas.com/Librar.../603--How.sflb

Would like to use cedar and will be calling Clarks in Houston for a quote which would include the surfacing on at least one or two sides if not all of them (at least the ones on the outside and top since we don't want our girls to get splinters when they help garden).

Seems easy and simple to make, but it looks too plain to me. I'd like some articulation on the outside such as putting pieces of 2 x 4's vertically in the middle of the length on the outside to also add support and somehow instead of using 4 x 4's on the inside corners to use something vertically on the outside for support and more articulation. Was thinking of cutting a notch into the 4 x 4's, but one lumber yard told me the cedar tends to split when dry and it might split when I cut it. Then I thought about using 2 x 4's again, but then one side would be an inch longer.

I'd also like to add more wood all around the top to act as a small "bench seat". Maybe use 2 x 6's or 2 x 8's?

Does anyone have any other plans for a simple yet nice looking raised planter? Ideas of how I can do simple nice looking corners and add a "bench seat"? Built one before and have any other advice to share? Thank you.

[docrowan]

I followed Mel Bartholomew's book - All New Square Foot Gardening and had great success last year. I used 2X6 pressure treated. I did extensive research on modern pressure treated wood which uses ACQ instead of CCA. I found that ACQ is safe to use in a garden, although getting a litigation-wary company to unequivocally state this would be difficult. I would encourage you to do your own research.

I used exterior glue and 3.5 inch screws to butt join the 2X6's together and it's plenty strong without any reinforcement. I considered using 2X12's to obtain a deeper box, but it would have just entailed more expense to no real purpose.

I've attached a few pictures from last summer. If you look closely, you can see how I fastened the corners together. The boxes in the center of the garden are 4'x4' and along the fence are 1'x7'.

[chabin76]

I built a couple last year using this plan.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-...615067,00.html

They turned out really good. I used treated lumber also. I also used 4" x 6" to save on some money. I bought 10' lumbers and cut them 3.5' x 6.5'. This made it a good width so I wasn't having to reach too far.

Good luck.

Matt

[Alex Franke]

Well, the one I did is raised, meant for plantings, and includes a bench, but that might be where the similarities end. But I figured I'd post it anyway just in case you might get some ideas from it. My wife absolutely loves this, but it was more expensive than the raised wooden planter we had before.

http://www.thefrankes.com/wp/?p=1491

[Alex Franke]

I followed Mel Bartholomew's book - All New Square Foot Gardening and had great success last year.

Wow, Chris, those planters are great, the harvest looks mighty tasty, but those kids are the ones who really make those shots! How adorable!

[toolbelt diva]

Thank you all for the advice and sharing of your planters and plans. I hope the ones I build are just as nice as all of yours.

We'll also be following Square Foot Gardening, but going longer than 4' in length as some others have done with equal success.

I haven't heard of the newer ACQ modern pressure treated wood, so I'll do some research on it as suggested. Quick question on it, do you still need to take the same precautions when working with it?

[annunaki]

Cement Blocks trump wood

I like cement blocks.
They are easy to arrange, don't rot, don't leach toxic chemicals like pressure treated or RR ties.
I like to use the holes to plant different herbs.
They can be painted if desired.

[docrowan]

ACQ stands for Ammonium Copper Quatenary. The copper is anti-termite, and is what gives most of the treated wood a yellowish color rather than the greenish color from the old stuff. The ammonium quatenary is anti-fungal and types of 'quat' are used as disinfectants in food processing plants. Copper, of course, is used in drinking water pipes.

The old stuff was CCA - Copper Chromium Arsenate. It contained arsenic and chromium, both potentially hazardous chemicals. There was some danger of long term exposure to people who worked with it on a regular basis, but to the best of my knowledge there is absolutely no evidence that anyone was ever sickened or died due to leaching of the chemical in the environment. However because of the potential risk, the EPA mandated the change to the new ACQ several years ago. According to my research CCA is still available on a very limited basis to licensed contractors for special underground situations, but you won't find any at any home center. If you look on the tag you'll see 'ACQ' included on it somewhere.

The ACQ has a much higher concentration of copper than the old CCA treated wood. Because of electrolytic reaction with the copper, ACQ treated wood is very corrosive to regular steel fasteners. When ACQ came out, all the galvanized nails and screws had to be reformulated to give an extra level of protection. If you've got some old leftover screws or nails from several years ago, don't use them on the ACQ or they'll rust. I used some old galvanized roofing nails to tack down the grid and they rusted within days. I pulled them all out this spring and many of them snapped off due to rust.

You'll find lots of authors both in print and particularly on the internet who haven't taken any time to do their own research and continue repeating the old mantra about not using PT wood in a garden or for playground equipment. I personally don't take any special precautions when working with the ACQ. I do wash my hands when I'm done for the day, but I'd do that anyway no matter what kind of wood I was working with.

Having said all that, I would encourage you to do your own research to settle your own mind about the matter. By the way, I am not a doctor despite my screenname. It was just a nickname in high school.

[docrowan]

Alex,

Thanks for the comments about the garden and my children. You did a nice job on your garden as well, and little one is mighty cute, too.

My daughter showed great interest in our garden, to the point that she took a bean from one of the plants, planted it in unimproved soil in the middle of the pathway, and it grew up to be a large and healthy plant. Too late in the season to produce, but she was very excited.

[billwmeyer]

Cedar

I have been working a lot with cedar lately, building a deck. It does split easily so I tried to avoid using fasteners too close to the end. I had no problems with splitting while cutting 1" lumber. I drilled pilot holes for the screws and I countersinked the ends to avoid splitting. I like working with cedar. My next project there is lawn furniture.

Good luck with your planters

Bill