Vegetables Gardening - Growing Organic Vegetables

I have a friend that needs to build a garden box to place on her patio deck. What type of wood is recommended for this. She wants a few beds that measure 24" X 72" X 12" deep. These beds will be raised off the floor about 2.5 feet. I have been looking at cedar and treated deck boards.
Cedar is expensive and and I worry about the chemicals in treated lumber

Help
Dave in Spokane, MO.

Dave & Group:

I recommend she use treated lumber, at least 8" tall. 10" and 12" are fine, but not really necessary and use more soil, water, fertilizer, etc. Today's treated lumber no longer has arsenic in it.

What is she going to grow? Unless her plants are all small, like lettuce, spinach, onions, radishes, etc. she can only get two rows in a 24"-wide bed or box. And she can also get two rows of all the plants she will be growing in 18"-wide beds or boxes, so I suggest she consider 18"-wide boxes.

With proper feeding, she can grow any plant in the garden in sawdust and sand 18" wide by 8" deep.

Make sure that the bottoms are amply ventilated with holes, or with 1/4" gaps every 4" width, otherwise she will have drainage problems.

Jim Kennard

P.S. Where is Spokane, MO? We are in Northwestern MO ourselves - Gallatin.

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