[Community_garden] Trex or other building material

[Don Boekelheide]

I'm afraid I too agree that, in my experience, building boxes isn't usually necessary for gardening (even out in Colorado, admittedly a challenging place in your higher, drier areas).  I grant you that containers made of anything - wood, masonry, plastic, brick, clay, trex, ferro-cement, cardboard, old kids' plastic swimming pools, etc, etc - are good in some special circumstances for holding soil, improving drainage, etc. They also clearly define areas, which some folks prefer aesthetically. But they add an additional level of expense (sometimes, a lot of expense) and futzing, and come with a whole new set of problems like potential toxicity of some materials, rotting out, and maintenance. And when they are abandoned or go weedy - at a school, for instance, over the summer - they can look pretty awful and become a strong visual argument for why it makes no sense to fund or support garden projects.

So, are you _sure_ you don't just want to garden? Have you considered looking for a suitable spot for a community garden, for instance? Save some open space, build soil, etc. Work together. Build community, not  little boxes (...on the hillside, as Malvina used to sing...).

If you are very sure, though, that you want to make boxes, I agree that masonry is a very useful option to consider, rather than wood or trex. I've used blocks very successfully at Urban Ministry (where I mostly needed something for tired folks to sit on, but also in one particular spot had horrible drainage), and in other sites. The option from Lowes Depot I like best are 4x8x16  solid concrete blocks. If the project doesn't work out, these blocks are reasonably easy to remove, reform or recycle.

Another option, if you are growing food, are "pillow packs" made very simply by filling big black plastic sacks with soil mix. There are fancier 'grow bags' that commercial nurseries use - both these options might be interesting under xeric conditions. They won't win any beauty pagents and plastic has all kinds of problems, but I've seen them used very successfully to produce quite a bit of food.

Last but not least, what are the local containers that you have there traditionally? What did the first settlers build with, or the First Nations peoples who were there before? How did they garden? Rather than start with boxes - and we all have garden books and mags full of pics of boxes to inspire us - why not, er, think outside the box?

Don
http://urbanministrygarden.wordpress.com
(I have some pics of the Urban Ministry masonry beds on the blog, if you'd like to see. They are done with 'landscape' blocks with round edges, a donation from a local  soils and mulch company, Blue Max).



From: community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org
[mailto:community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org] On Behalf Of
GivenTrees at aol.com
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 8:50 AM
To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
Subject: [Community_garden] Trex or other building material

Hey all, I'm looking for material to build raised beds, cold  frames
etc. to 
grow organic veggies in.  Trying NOT to cut any trees  or use
traditional 
lumber material.  I've always heard redwood was the best  wood to use,
but looking 
for alternatives.  I think there had been a  discussion here before
about 
Trex, is there any leaching? Down sides?   Alternatives? Suggestions?
Thanks Tina




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