Garden boxes.

[Dave Shepard]

I'm curious what people are making garden boxes out of. Around here it seems to be black locust or hemlock. It's hard to get a decent locust saw log. Hemlock I have a hard time believing is worth it, but people are convinced it's bug and rot resistant. I'd like to use knotty pine, because that's something I can get plenty of.

[Patrick NC]

Eastern red cedar

[69bronco]

I've got a 4'x20' made out of full 2" thick hemlock. It's 5 years old and rotted out. My white cedar boxes are around 10 years and still functioning, but not for long. The cedar boxes were roughly 8" logs sawed top and bottom and split down the middle, so roughly 4"x5" stacked live edge out. I don't have any locust or that's what I'd be using. We have a quite a few raised beds and I have started making them out of roofing steel with treated 2x4 exterior frames. Hope that helps.

[SwampDonkey]

Pine tar it, whatever it is. Cedar though is good in itself, even northern white. I'd still pine tar it, mixed with turpentine to get it soaked in.

Flats for seedlings - YouTube

Pine tar is a hell of a thing - YouTube

[Bruno of NH]

I have hemlock ones on my front yard made of hemlock.
10 years old.
I haven't built one this year.
To many sawing orders.
I have black locust this year that's been sawn out.

[tmbrcruiser]

I sell quite a few 8/4"x12"x16' cypress this time of year for garden boxes. I switched my garden to raised boxes about four years ago, all go so far.

[Stephen1]

I have sold 35 raised Pine planters kits, it's what I have a lot of for free. I have orders for another 20 which we will make this week. 

[Dave Shepard]

Any thoughts on charring the inside of the box and using white pine? (Shou sugi ban). 

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I like the idea of charring the inside of the box. I need to redo mine and have plenty of pine but worry about longevity. Ill be watching this thread for more info!! Brian

[Jjoness4]

I have sawed several white oak raised bed boxes at the customer's request.
I sure hated to see clear 8/4 white oak used for that purpose but they didn't blink at what I had to charge them.

[Percy]

I build mine out of yellow cedar....it only grows along the pacific coast....after the tree is dead ,it dont rot.

 

[doc henderson]

our ERC boxes are hanging in there year 2.

[RichTired]

I use SYP as I have more of it than others species. 

But I think they will last longer than some of the boxed store's 'cedar' ones due to construction methods. 

[Don P]

Someone mentioned having access to leyland cypress. No experience but I suspect it would do better than pine or hemlock. We went over to the dark side at the school and used trex.

[Fern Wood]

Larch if you can find some.

[Mountain_d]

I like the idea of charring the inside of the box. I need to redo mine and have plenty of pine but worry about longevity. Ill be watching this thread for more info!! Brian

What is the method to char the wood? Propane torch or some other way?
Mountain 

[Bruno of NH]

Propane long handle rosebud 

[Dave Shepard]

Larch if you can find some.

It's hard to find, like decent black locust. 

[Peter Drouin]

I don't make them, But have a lot of customers who want my lumber to make garden boxes and raised garden beds.
Two customers are doing the raised beds thing and selling them with my lumber. W Pine and Hemlock, 1" & 2"  4" to 12" wide. 
Some will pay for the W Oak not many.

It all Good to see people buying wood and planting food  8) 8)