I have a guy wanting to us 2x8 Red Oak for raised flower beds. I just don't know if its a good idea. Would it work.
Troy
I used some red oak last year for one of our raised beds, no problems with it, another fellow likes to use my cull ties for his gardens, I would say give him as many as he wants, david
I've always heard it said: Red oak, don't lay it down. White oak, put it in the ground.
They will hold dirt and rot rapidly. :embarassed:
Hi Yarnammurt,
As long as they know they will decompose in about 3 to 4 seasons, and maybe a little "mushy" after only 2. I have built them out of slab wood with saddle (lap) joints and as they get old, build fresh outside of the old ones. You can just fold them into the bed or put them in the compost for further aging... :D :D ;D It all depends on how you use them and what the goal was to begin with.
He is wanting 60 2x8x12. That is almost 1000bf at .90 a bf. I dont want him to not be happy at that price. What do y'all get on 2x oak. Am I to high. I called a few places around and they are wanting $1.95 bf
you're not high at all. I charge 1.25 for Red Oak.
I think that you are low at $.90/BF.
Thing is for flower beds you can use lower grade, knottier wood. Saw it from some smaller logs, or the middle 8" of larger logs after you have removed the better $1.95 boards.
But there are better choices of wood for this. Cedar for example, or we use Monterey Cypress locally. Lighter and more durable on the ground.
Ian
I went back through some old notes, and found a method that you could pass on to your client. It will take a little more wood, (good for you ;D), but it should extend the life of the raised beds considerably, depending on the details of the finish.
There is more to it than what I am writing here, but you can get the gist of the idea. With a little creativity, the system can be improved upon.
Instead of a single wall of boards, use a double, with an air space between the two layers. The inner layer can be sacrificial, (depending on the treatment) while the outer layer, if done with forethought could last a decade or longer.
Good luck,
jay