A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Organically Speaking... Raised bed, unwanted pests.

Howdy to all. New here but not new to the idea of growing healthy and wise.

I live next to a large undeveloped area that offers me an unending supply of moles, mice, Norway rats, rabbits and squirrels. I have lost countless potatoes to the rats that invade the mole and mice tunnels. Not to mention what they do to my compost bin. Our cats manage to keep the rabbits down and the squirrels don't caws much difficulty. I am planing on replacing my raised beds.

I am a self admitted tightwad. If I can do it cheaper then that's what I will do. At Home depot if you look in the lumber dept in the back close to the saw that they use to cut wood for customers you will find "Cull Lumber" stuff that will not sell that has been cut in half and then sold for 50 cents to a buck. So $1 for a 4 ft pressure treated 4x4 not bad but short on the size. Most dummies know you cant use that for a planter bed and call it healthy.

I have tried pavers put down under the beds to keep down the rodents tunneling with little success. I was thinking of using Concrete board placed inside of the pressure treated 4x4 (like building a short fence except using the concrete board rather than vertical fence boards) My thoughts are that it may last a number of years. My concerns are that the pressure treated wood ingredients may leach through the concrete board or that the board it's self may have unwanted toxins. I need to place some 2 ft tall retaining walls as well as the planter beds.

Any thoughts or ideas please. Keep in mind I have a community well on my property and can not and will not use chemicals.

Thanks, Ziggy

This is why I don't grow many edibles. I too have a critter problem. Have you considered having a 'floor' of fencing in your raised beds? I would go with a small grid like aviary wire fencing laid down under the whole thing (small holed chicken wire). Or even smaller like the hardware cloth used in some concrete work (about 1/2 inch squares).
I know little about wood and the treatments used. I don't know what chemicals are used in pressure treating. I hope someone with more knowledge comes along to help you.

I did find this:
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/bed~const.html
And this:
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/cgi-bin/ubb/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/68/2162.html

Let me elaborate a bit more on my plan. It is to line the bed on the inside, bottom and sides with something like 1/2 - 5/8 inch concrete (Hardy Board) lining. Held in place with currant production pressure treated fir on the outside of the board. The planed size is 4ft x 4ft topped with 2x4 cedar. The pressure treated wood will not be in direct contact with the soil but the concrete board will.

Thanks for the help. Ziggy

I understood that. I also understood that finance was a thought in here. I thought the wire mesh as a bottom lining might be less expensive than the concrete board. Unless you get a free source for the board.
Concrete in any form is made with lime and it leaches into the soil too. It means adding more acidic stuff to your soil. I take that into consideration whenever possible.

I agree about the concrete board. Even though what may leach from that wouldn't be as 'toxic' as what used to leach out of the old CCA lumber, you wouldn't be doing your soil and/or your plants any good by increasing acidity.

I line my beds (made from 2nd-grade cedar) with 1/4" hardware mesh/cloth. Folded up and stapled on the inside of each board like a pot liner. No burrowing from any of our local tiny critter friends. Yet anyway. :( And there's still plenty of room for plant roots to work their way through those small wire holes.

Good luck.