Is Pressure Treated Wood Toxic in Garden Beds? - The Definitive Answer

In this video, I respond to the myriad of comments on my Raised Garden Bed Side Hustle video, that say I shouldn't use pressure treated wood in garden beds. Spoiler alert, modern pressure treated wood is fine unless you are an organic gardener.

Here are some links on the subject to start you on your own research:

The music I use as Epidemic Sound (using my link will get me free months):

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[zach]

I’ve been using treated wood for twenty four years and two of my three heads agree it’s safe!

[BBoyBFit]

I went the down the rabbit hole of looking all this up earlier after posting yesterday. Thanks

[ausfoodgarden]

The old arsenic-treated wood is long gone. In most countries at least.
We still have ACQ-treated wood here and I do use it, but prefer to use hardwood for veg beds just in case.
Nice video that cuts through the old concerns and shows where we are at now. Cheers!

[originalwoolydragon]

Thanks for this. I had a couple of similar comments about the raised beds that I had cobbled together (not as professionally done as yours though) and showed in one of my gardening videos.

[williamwaters]

Thanks for posting this information. I used corrugated steel panels to make my raised beds. They last a long time and cost less than pressure treated wood; however, the sun heats the steel, which heats the soil and it dries out fast. The beds have to water more frequently than my garden.

[tarusussery]

Good video David and you’ve cleared a lot up for me. I’m using both treated and untreated. Keep doing what you do and don’t let negative responders stop the positive videos.👍🏽✌🏽

[WKMG]

We have a cedar mill nearby, good prices for wood for raised beds. I use pressure treated wood as well, I use a plastic lining in all my raised beds anyway. Good info thanks.

[Polyhive]

If it's an issue then line the bed sides with pond liner. Sorted.

[vqegdnu]

I appreciate the video. I figured you would get a lot of comments about the pressure treated. I just don’t trust when the manufactures say stuff is safe. The super toxic wood play houses that many of our kids played on were told that it was safe. Maybe the new stuff is maybe not. By us Cedar Pickett are only $2.50 for the six footers at the low price and $3.50 at the high. But the cedar 2x4’s or 2x6’s still ridiculous.

[pa.fishpreacher]

yes it is okay to use today, PT is not made the same as it was 20 yrs ago. Penn. sTate University wrote a wonderful article on this subject

[Ishiisan]

Great video. ACQ and CCA research is too early to see a long term effects.
My wife is about using non-treated wood. So I made our raised beds for flowers out of treated wood. And I prepped the soil and didn’t make a raised bed for the edible plants we’re planting.
Fungus is part of soil maturing so I would just leave it alone.
Again. Great video

[dblungm]

I saw that comment after watching your original video, and have to admit I thought the same thing. I was always told the “ old” process of treating could contain arsenic. I immediately looked up the pickets I buy from Menards which are treated and called AC2 they actually said on there website ok for raised bed boxes but recommend a plastic liner 🤷‍♂️

[tobedetermined]

Yes! I didn’t know any of this! Now I do

[twinnevans]

My god people the industrial fallout lacing your plants every day is more of a concern than the newer PT wood.

[jerrybessetteDIY]

Many years ago, arsenic was commonly used on gardens for pest control, and was a favorite poison for spouses at a time when divorce was frond on.

[kevinhubbard]

Ty for doing your homework and making this great vid .. and also THANK YOU !! For educating the “uninformed . “ 👍 now go plant flowers ppl ✌️

[Gelo]

This video is very informative and up to date... Thank you for the updates 💚

[wilburrrrr]

Thanks for enlightening me and doing the research. They probably have labeling on the wood to identify which method they treated it with?

[Firevine]

Seeing how you're filling that bed: Check out Hugelkulture methods (I absolutely misspelled that). I save a fair bit by filling the first half or so with branches, wood chips, grass clippings, etc, then topping that off with soil. Not great for root veg obviously, but fantastic for everything else. My preferred soil went up by $3 a bag so I need to save as much as possible. 😑

[Griffinwoodworks]

While I feel like you’re right, I also think there’s going to be people out there who would play it safe regardless and wouldn’t buy them, at least in my area. I build planters, not garden beds, so there’s a huge price difference in cedar 2x4s and fence pickets lol, so I just build mine out of cedar pickets to avoid the situation altogether. I wouldn’t hesitate to use PT if requested though.