Is there any reason why treated wood should not be used in gardening projects?
A. The extra durability of pressure treatment makes treated wood the perfect product for building raised beds, terraced gardens, grape or tomato stakes, mushroom trays, vineyard supports, retaining walls, trellises, arbors, garden furniture, compost bins, walkway steps, flower bed edging, or planters. Any assertion that gardeners should not grow edibles in planters or raised beds made with treated wood is without basis. Independent research conducted by county extension agents in Texas, in cooperation with Texas A&M’s Laboratory and Southwest Research Institute, has concluded that both creosote- and water-borne-treated wood are not harmful in garden use. In tests on water-borne-treated wood, the treated timbers varied in age from six months to nine years. Arsenic levels in soil samples taken from the garden were no more than what occurs naturally in any soil. Further, the levels of arsenic one inch from the timbers and 12 inches from the timbers were the same, indicating no migration o
