Question about using old pressure treated wood for a raised bed

My neighbor, Frank, saw me building a garden bed last weekend. He pointed at my pile of old deck boards and said, 'You know that stuff is full of arsenic, right? It's from before 2004.' I always thought it was fine if it was weathered. Now I'm tearing the whole thing out. Has anyone else run into this with older lumber?

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3 Comments

taylor.amy6mo ago

Ugh, Frank is wrong and you just did a ton of work for nothing. That old wood is perfectly safe after years of rain and sun breaking things down. @thea_chen's joke is funny, but the real joke is how much we overthink this stuff. The tiny amount that might still be there won't just jump into your veggies. People have used old treated wood for years with zero problems.

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thea_chen6mo ago

Frank just gave you a free workout, hope you thanked him.

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haydensanchez5mo ago

Oh man, I saw a whole thing about how that old treated wood can actually leach arsenic for decades. Super sketchy.

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