Wood preservative?

[noviceveggrower]

Hi, Was just wondering what sort of wood preservative everyone uses?
Have got 4 raised beds at home that all need replacing so was wondering what would be best to treat any new wood we get to replace the kerput beds.
Also hopefully getting raised beds so would want to use it on them.
Thanks

[alldigging]

NWTT do treated sawn softwood. Not really cheap but should last a long time.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I to would use tantalised timber, just make sure if its recycled it is post 2002 to ensure it has no nasties in it.

Potty

[noviceveggrower]

Thanks. Have been offered a load of pallets. New ones all clean wood not got any of that blue paint stuff on.
I have read about nasty stuff on pallets so if I didn't use them on raised beds have seen people make seats etc out of them. So would they still be ok to use either as raised beds or seating?

[Potstubsdustbins]

The liquid used for tantalising timber was changed early 2000s now safe to use.

Potty

[noviceveggrower]

Thanks. Think looking at the soil and the amount I'd need to make it a decent height raised bed, not to small and not so big I'd need a ladder to get to it, think I might do the wood as just one plank of wood high. Where my plot is would mean having soil or compost dropped at site gates which would mean me lugging it from one side to the other.
Or my other alternative has houses by it and my friendly neighbour would be on the phone at a drop of a hat if she say a load of soil been dropped off. Dread to think what would happen if I had a load of cow muck delivered:0

[Kristen]

The liquid used for tantalising timber was changed early 2000s now safe to use.

I know nothing about it, but it troubles me as to whether the "safety tests" that would normally be done are based on wood being dry, or occasionally wet, rather than being a suitable and representative test for wood that is mostly buried in permanently damp soil with food crops growing immediately adjacent to them.

I have put damp proof course between the timber surrounding my raised beds, and the soil, but I have no idea if the risk of plasticisers leaching from the DPM is better / worse than the tantalising chemicals would be ...

[noviceveggrower]

Saw an article in another gardening mag when a woman made raised beds out of pallets. They were the plain wood ones and she doesn't mention anything about chemicals in the wood or about preserving them.

[Kristen]

I think?? pallets in the UK are free from chemicals, but pallets that travel internationally have to be free from insects etc. so may have been treated to insure that. They used to (and perhaps still are in some countries?) treated with methyl bromide - maybe that is harmful if it leaches into the soil where vegetables are grown?

Biggest unknown, for me, would be what has been spilt onto the pallets - e.g. if they were used to transport Chemical X and some of it spilled onto the pallet in use / accidentally during transportation.

There are markings on pallets to indicate origin and whether they adhere to various standards, so it should be possible to weed out (Sorry!) inappropriate pallets and just use safe ones.

Completely untreated wood isn't going to last long as a raised bed surround though.

Perhaps brick or concrete is the only totally safe answer?

[roitelet]

You could give the timber a good coating of linseed oil.

[datz]

I also use linseed oil on bare wood. Usually a couple of coats is enough.

[Ananke]

I've just painted my scaffy boards with the stuff you use for garden fences, hope I've not done the wrong thing

[Kristen]

I've just painted my scaffy boards with the stuff you use for garden fences, hope I've not done the wrong thing

Line, on the soil side, with plastic sheeting if you are not sure?