Build Raised Garden Beds (19” Deep!)

[@David66Stang]

We used redwood for our raised beds and lined not with plastic but with roofing tar for a moisture control! Nice work there!

[@skkfor]

Thanks for taking the time to post your experience. I greatly appreciate the tip about driving a fastener into end grain at an angle. I tried it -indeed, it has a LOT more "grab" than just going straight in! Hopefully, the better holding power will keep the centers of my boards from cupping and backing the screws out over time. Many thanks -and take care, man!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

@skkfor You’re welcome! I know, that cupping tends to just tear these things apart. But between the diagonal drilling, and the corner boards, your garden beds can stand up to just about anything. 💪 Thanks for watching!

[@joeandersen6553]

I just found your channel and I think that you are excellent information. I have been a carpenter for over 44 years.

[@epicblasta7642]

You can fill planters with branches, small logs ( yard waste ) on the bottom, then add the soil. Over years they will all decompose. Much cheaper than filling the entire box with soil! Over the years you will add on top , hay, spent barley, fish bone meal etc, whatever is nearby in the fall which will breakdown over winter. You can even leave stalks, leaves until spring. There are a ton of no till gardening\ farming videos out there.

[@oldguy5458]

I contacted Yellowwood about the chemical they use for treatment,,,The reply I got back was it was safe,,,,They also stated if I were concerned about planting veggies in the raised beds to line the raised beds with 6 mil plastic,,, Although it wasn't required,,,Nice looking beds ,,, Thanks for the details,,,Best Regards

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

@Old Guy Thank you! I appreciate the insight. Before too long here I'm going to do a more comprehensive video on treated vs. untreated lumber. You reaching out to Yellowwood has pretty much convinced me to do the same, along with couple other manufacturers. Might as well go straight to the production source for info. Thanks again!

[@zeke112964]

@@TheHonestCarpenter I'm here in Raleigh and since they did away with CCA the treated lumber hasn't lasted...ACQ boards are only lasting 2 years sometimes and i'm not talking about ground contact...The new formulas are horrible. And I wouldn't trust the garden beds without plastic. Just my 2 cents.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

zeke112964 Good to hear from a fellow raleigh native! I’ve heard this same thing before-new treated lumbers falling apart too fast. I’d say you’re right, wrapping with 6 mil is probably the only good long term solution. Thanks for writing in!

[@epicblasta7642]

yellowwood or any other company would never tell you their wood is NOT safe :(

[@g00fysmiley]

its less practical for client work, but I use pressure treated on my own garden beds. i leave em in the garage on racks to dry out first then cut pieces to sizer and coat every single square inch with a good opaque deck stain for extra protection, have some acq ground contact rated beds that are 10 years old and look like the day they were put in . several soil exchanges in them and the insides have zero rot

[@mdk36]

Thanks Ethan for sharing this video.

[@slydog7131]

When I built my first-generation beds, I joined them by driving 3 inch screws straight into the end. In time, the boards, cupped, rotted and the corners started coming apart. In my second-generation beds I put a 4x4 post in each corner and attached the boards to that using heavy lag screws. Those boards haven't cupped or separated, but I've found that the 4x4 posts (all PT wood) are decaying faster than I would have thought, though after about 6 years everything is holding together well.

[@josephsaroce4991]

I love this..exactly what I wanted in size height...I'll be making this soon Thanks!

[@willbhartley]

I add a thick plastic liner anyway. Make the timber last much longer if not in direct contact with soil/compost.

[@MrFreeride1113]

Look in to patio blocks for the corners. A million times easier. No nails or screws.

[@npvora]

Great vid, not short of detail so many thanks, making my own this weekend using the C24 47mmx200mm stacked 3 high.

[@jeffburris6290]

I use cedar picket fence 6 foot planks

[@conleyed]

Very helpful, thanks for the extra "tips".

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Edward Conley You’re welcome, thank you for watching!

[@carpeseason]

This is so helpful! If not using triangular corner pieces, do you still try to create a "web" by screwing into both sides? Or just reinforce the one side that it lies parallel with?

[@johnlaguardia4362]

I really enjoy all of your instructional videos. I have a Paslode 900420 framing nail gun. Do you have any framing nail gun “how to” videos? Thanks so much, John LaGuardia

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks John! Not yet, but I’ll try to make some 🙂

[@davidaubin3449]

Great job, great tips. Thank you

[@davidkutas273]

Great content and video! And super relevant to the season

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

David Kutas Thank you! A great build project, especially if you’ve got yourself a nice new house and yard 😀

[@ed6837]

Line it wit plastic is a good idea the wood will probably last longer.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Ed Benton Good call. I did the same with these custom planter boxes. 6-mil plastic: thehonestcarpenter.com/blog/custom-planter-boxes/

[@isaaccowan5316]

Soil in different places can have different properties (acidic, base, different components). Here near the Rockies, there's actually radioactive soil from the afore mentioned "Rockies". Ask a local agricultural extension service. In general though , use a "ground contact" lumber (there is a specific kind) for your first layer, and line the beds with special soil contact fabrics. They last longer than plastic, and you wouldn't believe how much plastic will "leach" or kick off except for "food grade". Most plants are great "filters" in and of themselves. All types of plants are composed of all types of very complex chemicals, and some are known to produce some of the most poisonous compounds around (don't eat tree bark is a good general rule, some is ok, some is, well dangerous). With all our "processed food" and dangerous products, our life expectancy is now in the eighties, not the mid forties.

[@genejaytre]

Yea when I got my treated wood I was told that they no longer use arsenic and it’s been that way for years now.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

It’s true, Geneva. They still use it in New Zealand and some other countries, but America cut it out. I’m probably going to do a whole video on treated wood soon-it’s sort of a conundrum

[@davidhudson3567]

Treated Lumber is treated with copper and it is FDA approved for gardening use.

[@alankauth]

A plastic lining is a good idea just to make the wood last longer and maybe for less moisture absorption by the wood. However, the plastic will decay in time. Various colleges and agricultural extensions have said using this treated lumber is fine and have tested it very extensively. While they show it does leach some at the very edges, it is very barely measurable. Even more importantly, the “leached” soils contain less chemical than naturally occurs in soils in nature. So your natural soil can be more “poisonous” than the soil next to a ground contact treated board. Of course, the natural soil is not poisonous, I am just saying the chemicals these boards leach are often much higher in natural soil and what this is being added from these treated boards is beneath negligible. Just barely technically measurable for the outside couple inches.

[@dovidhousman1109]

Use a pneumatic nailer! This video should be called how to drive fasteners into dimensional lumber.

[@truthspace5525]

Think about this. If copper readily leached from the wood, then it wouldn't be much good for ground contact lumber.

[@corydriver7634]

Can composite deck lumber be used in contact with soil? Do you think it would work in this application?

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

@Cory Driver composite decking is suitable for ground contact, and I think it could work here for lower boxes. I wouldn’t stack it three-high because I think soil weight would bow it, but two-high (about 11”) would probably be just fine. Thanks for watching!

[@corydriver7634]

The Honest Carpenter thanks for the response.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Cory Driver sure thing!

[@juanoramo]

Composite lumber is not meant to be in contact with ground and must have good airflow around it to avoid mold. It's also very frexible.

[@gladiator22666]

Tantalised timber is used widely in all types of construction. Garden centres sell planters ready made from treated timber also garden buildings and children's climbing frames . I've used rough sawn treated timber to make a cabin in the past because it gives a good effect and should last . I guess as the consumer we should trust that the wood is safe to use . There must be thousands of pieces of treated timber used every day .....there is always a shortage in our local depot lol. I've worked with wood for 40 years , initially doctors said don't worry about wood dust it's natural and passes through your body ........then a few years later they say wood dust is carcinogenic, wear a mask ! If you purchase untreated wood for a project you will have to treat it with something......check out the health and safety on the tin .......it's probably more dangerous than getting treated timber in the first place 👍

[@joeandersen6553]

Please do a show on termites and termite damage. And possibly how to get rid of cockroaches. This is good to know in the house flipping business.

[@demetriuspowell29]

Can I use a cheap skill saw circular saw to build raised beds?

[@charliewood4158]

Yes just put a new blade on

[@demetriuspowell29]

@@charliewood4158 what kind of blade

[@charliewood4158]

The best thing I can tell you if you have a Ace-Hardware near you take your saw to them and tell them what you are going to cut your saw should be a 7 1/4 dia I use a 40 tooth and I have seen my ace hardware will even change the blade if you ask real nice Just be very careful and use eye protection

[@demetriuspowell29]

@@charliewood4158 thanks!

[@sibbyd8743]

Use a speed square as a guide for the saw to keep the cuts square and take your time through the cut! Ensure that the waste side of the cut is able to fall freely to avoid kickback.

[@joelx77]

I used 1"*6" cedar in 8 foot sections. $5 a board even now with April 2021 high prices. Each box is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide and 1 foot tall. I used 2*4 scraps for the braces (one at each corner and in the middle). No chemical leaching, long lasting because cedar resists rot, and plenty strong.

[@christinasanchez2314]

Wow! The cost in my area for cedar boards is $47 per board!

[@slydog7131]

@@christinasanchez2314 Look for cedar fence boards. They are cheap. Other cedar boards meant for special projects, like furniture, are very expensive.

[@johnmiller1015]

Personally, I don't use pressure treated lumber if I'm growing something I'm gonna eat, same with boiled linseed oil, they use harmful chemicals to boil it

[@gsf67]

I'm from New Zealand, and I think that we developed the ccc treatment back in the 1950's, and then sold this treatment to the rest of the world. We call this tanalised timber, we still use this timber, although the chemical or concentration of copper, arsenic has been reduced somewhat. I understood that treated timber has been banned in Canada and the US.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

gsf67 I first heard the word “tantalized” lumber recently and was confused. Thank you for clearing it up! They did indeed phase out the arsenic treatment, but a lot of carpenters seem to claim that the effective resilience of the wood went with it 😕

[@blayne2029]

Looks great. But with the price of lumber today, the price of these will be steep!

[@JeannetteShoreland]

I agree. I am thinking of using vinyl fencing for the raised bed construction.

[@ezegqfouru2018]

Question is who are they sharing their food with and who are they trying to kill. treated lumber, food poisoning slow release.

[@RobGraham048]

I used pressure treated lumber in my raised beds. no chemicals but still has some longevity