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Our garden is raised in beds built of scrap lumber, mostly 
from old pallets which I doubt are treated. The dirt 
touches it. We used new 2x6's to make a cap board for 
each. As we get older we appreciate not having to bend so 
far and being able to sit on them to do our planting and 
weeding. Raising the beds helps with drainage, although we 
don't have much rain to worry about and use drip 
irrigation so the water is going to the plants not so much 
the boards. In the early spring when the night can freeze 
and hail is frequent, we cover the beds with old roofing 
tin balanced across the cap boards. By the time the plants 
are taller than the boards the danger of frost and hail is 
past. It has country charm and cost almost nothing except 
time.

--Sage
Way Out in Texas

On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:56:21 -0400
 "Chris Clarke" <hstead AT nc.rr.com> wrote:
> Finally have the first raised bed in.   Could not find 
> non-protected
> timbers anywhere, so I have "Landscape Timbers" which 
> are the rounded
> timbers, treated with the recent "less-toxic" methods. 
>  Question I have
> is as follows.   I am thinking of putting landscape 
> cloth on the inside
> sides of the bed.   Staple them to the side, and that 
> could stop any
> soil from leaching out, although I don't think it would 
> do anything to
> Cu and As from leaching in.   Wife says it isn't worth 
> it.   
>
> We have the cloth and the it is unfilled now.   What are 
> your thoughts?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Chris
>
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