Had a big argument on the job about treated wood vs. cedar for the environment. One side says chemicals are bad, the other says cedar uses more resources. Where do you fall?

4 comments

4 Comments

Yeah, the old pressure treated wood isn't used for gardens anymore for that exact reason. They used to put arsenic in it. The new stuff uses copper, which is a lot safer, but I still wouldn't want it touching my vegetable soil directly. You can always line the planter box with thick plastic as a barrier. Cedar does rot faster, but it's a natural rot, not a chemical one.

drew_hart41mo ago

Oh man, that argument is a classic trap. You're basically choosing between slowly poisoning your soil with chemicals (treated wood) or slowly poisoning your wallet because cedar costs a fortune (and yeah, uses a ton of resources). It's the building material version of picking your poison.

gavin3651mo ago

Wait, seriously? Drew_hart4 said treated wood slowly poisons the soil? That's actually kind of terrifying to think about, especially if you're building something like a planter box for veggies or a playset where kids are around. Makes the whole resource argument for cedar feel a little less important somehow.

moore.beth1mo ago

Talking about planter boxes for veggies, my cousin used pressure-treated wood for hers and her tomatoes came out weirdly small and bitter. We figured it was the chemicals leaching in. Now she's super paranoid about any treated wood near her garden.