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10/23/10, 09:34 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 3,224
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rail road ties for raised beds
Is there any problem with using railroad ties for raised garden beds (other than the obvious problem about the difficulty of moving them)? I have access to a bunch of them very cheap and am planning on doing my garden area in raised beds, with mulched walkways between.
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10/23/10, 09:39 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 19,346
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10/23/10, 09:43 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Posts: 4,290
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Don't use them. Creosote is an acid, will mess up your garden.
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玉
(名)三位一體; 三個一組; 三人一組
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10/23/10, 09:44 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,898
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Concrete blocks or old foundation sandstones work great.
Generally, though, I do my raised beds an acre or more at a time and just contour the borders to minimize erosion. 
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“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
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10/23/10, 10:24 AM
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Dallas
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: N of Dallas, TX
Posts: 10,119
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Seems Ideal size wise, too bad they'll mess up your soil big time.
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10/23/10, 11:04 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 3,224
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Thank you all very much, I will have to change my plans : ( But hey, if I use boards I will be able to lift them all by myself!
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10/23/10, 11:17 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,845
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I use them for raised garden and they work out great. The plants grow fine and are not affected. Even if you don't use them for gardening, if they are cheap I would get them anyways they have a million other uses.
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10/23/10, 12:40 PM
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Retired farmer-rancher
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: north-central Kansas
Posts: 2,897
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I've used well weathered rail ties for years and never had a problem. I don't know about new ones, but old is ok. And, I never had termites bother the garden if they were there, (didn't see any).
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* I'm supposed to respect my elders, but its getting harder and harder for me to find one. .*-
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10/23/10, 01:06 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 19,346
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The previous owners of this house used railroad ties for a lot of landscaping projects. Every one that we pulled out was full of termites. You would think they wouldn't bother railroad ties but they were sure hollowed those out.
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10/23/10, 03:31 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: W. Oregon
Posts: 8,754
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I can't touch the stuff, it burns my skin. I use rough cut 2"x10" cedar....James
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10/23/10, 03:46 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Tn
Posts: 334
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I would never use railroad ties/ treated lumber or old tires around an area where I was going ot grow food for my family. I shudder to think of what leaches off them into the soil and then into your food.
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10/23/10, 05:37 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Lower Alabama
Posts: 2,230
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I personally would never use them around my food garden. Having said that, does anyone remember Creomulsion cough medicine? If memory serves the main ingredient was creosote. One of my favorite sayings is; When you know better, you do better. I cannot imagine using that stuff now but thought nothing about it years ago.
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10/23/10, 10:23 PM
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Guest
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,043
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We have them bordering most of our garden, maybe that is what has caused of plants to grow so much better then the other people in this town. We have not had a single problem using them. And know one has become genetically changed by eating the veggies grown by them 
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10/23/10, 10:46 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 14,801
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Danaus29
The previous owners of this house used railroad ties for a lot of landscaping projects. Every one that we pulled out was full of termites. You would think they wouldn't bother railroad ties but they were sure hollowed those out.
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That should tell everyone something. Old used ties have so little creosote left in them that even termites are not deterred. When fresh, there is creosote which leaches into the soil but isn't deadly to plants. If it were, one would never have to trim grass or weeds around a power pole or phone pole.
Martin
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10/24/10, 12:28 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 12,448
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Take a good look at what many commercial fertilizers are made from.
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10/24/10, 12:36 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 14,801
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pancho
Take a good look at what many commercial fertilizers are made from.
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Neither wood nor coal tar creosote are normal components in any fertilizer. Both would have to be considered organic but have little or no plant nutrient value.
Martin
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10/24/10, 09:04 AM
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Fair to adequate Mod
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Between Crosslake and Emily Minnesota
Posts: 13,721
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paquebot
Neither wood nor coal tar creosote are normal components in any fertilizer. Both would have to be considered organic but have little or no plant nutrient value.
Martin
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Not exactly, any one who spreads fireplace ashes on their garden is also applying some creosote - and other carcinogenic PAH compounds - to their garden.
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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....
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10/24/10, 09:35 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South Central Wisconsin
Posts: 14,801
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pancho
Take a good look at what many commercial fertilizers are made from.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paquebot
Neither wood nor coal tar creosote are normal components in any fertilizer. Both would have to be considered organic but have little or no plant nutrient value.
Martin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cabin Fever
Not exactly, any one who spreads fireplace ashes on their garden is also applying some creosote - and other carcinogenic PAH compounds - to their garden. |
Fireplace ashes and/or creosote are not a component of any commercial fertilizers.
Martin
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10/24/10, 09:41 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Alaska
Posts: 1,935
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We used a whole bunch at our old place. Not only were they doubled and laid out free form for edging, we made nice, roomy beds too.
The beds were at least half the length of a tie wide. They accommodated two rows of most vegetables easily-without crowding. We put landscape fabric down in them before filling with soil.....using rocks to hold it down and simple staples for the sides. This kept most weeds from growing up through the bottom.
I'll make a couple observations:
The ties we used were old, and fairly well chewed up. We put the best side out.
It was a huge amount of physical labor, laying them out, leveling, and stacking.
We went through numerous chain saw chains, cutting them to length.
We drilled and then lag screwed them together, making sure the heads were recessed.
We should have capped them with some sort of board-the hot sun would soften up the coating and make for sticky spots. So, you didn't sit on the nice wide edges, lol
The black color means they soak up a tremendous amount of heat during the day-which is great for growing. It also means the beds suck up a tremendous amount of water too.
Our soil mixture included vermiculite and perlite, plus compost. It grew everything extremely well.
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"We" is mostly my husband's efforts, with me providing the "dumb end of the stick" and some muscle-we carried a lot of ties together, lol, over 150!
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A glimpse into my life and thoughts up here in Southcentral Alaska-visit my blog www.suvalley.blogspot.com
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10/24/10, 01:32 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 12,448
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paquebot
Neither wood nor coal tar creosote are normal components in any fertilizer. Both would have to be considered organic but have little or no plant nutrient value.
Martin
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Sorry, I didn't mean that commercial fertilizer contained wood, coal tar, or creosote. I meant if people were worried about anything leeching into the soil from crossties they should look at what they use as fertilizer and what it is made from.
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