australian timber oil no longer home depot

Australian timber oil no longer home depot how to#

However, they don’t penetrate as deep into the wood and probably need re-treating more often. Of course, when you have earth permanently against a wood surface, you are not going to be able to re-treat it easily. Some paint-on wood treatments: which use acypetacs (such as ‘Cuprinol’) are believed to be safer than the above treatments.The natural alternatives that do exist are often very expensive, not suitable for exposed outdoor areas in contact with soil, or prone to their own problems: So what can be done to preserve the wood used on vegetable plots? You would imagine that there would be a number of products for the job but there are surprisingly few. Oil-based preservatives: These penetrate wood very well, giving a deeper protection than many other paint-on preservatives and are the basis of many wood stains. Some are based on vegetable oils. However, they rarely list the ingredients and can contain a wide range of other compounds including fungicides, preservatives, UV blockers and pigments specific to the manufacturer. As a result, it is unclear whether they are safe to use around organic growing areas.Creosote: The traditional wood treatment for many years, this has now been withdrawn from sale for domestic use within the European Union following advice from organisations such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer who believe it to be carcinogenic. Creosote continues to give off vapours for some time after application and can leech into the soil and groundwater, entering into the food chain.The problem is that it is usually very hard to get information about the chemical concoction used in the process, particularly as the wood may have been pressure treated long before it reaches the place you purchase it from. There have been serious concerns about the use of arsenic compounds (CCAs) and heavy metals, particularly when these rub off on hands or get into the food chain. Most fences and posts are treated in this way, to prolong the life of the cheaper softwood used to make them. Pressure treated (‘tanalised’) timber: this is where the wood is preserved before you buy it by subjecting it to chemical treatments under pressure, so that as much as possible is absorbed into the wood.The issue is that all of the common methods of preserving woods have their problems when it comes to growing edible produce. For many of us, one of the primary benefits of growing our own food is the knowledge that our vegetables have not been sprayed, treated or artificially enhanced. Organic principles can be applied very successfully to home gardens but treating the wood in contact with the soil and plants can cause many questionable chemicals to leach into the ground, contaminating the crops. Details of the extent of this problem are hard to come by but the following treatments are commonly questioned:

Australian timber oil no longer home depot how to#

Wood is a very versatile material for vegetable gardens. Whether it is used to create raised beds, the edges of paths or a frame for protective netting, wood is the natural choice for many gardeners. Apart from being a sustainable resource, it looks good and is great for creating a new structure for vegetable beds that will hold in compost or keep out pests. So when I set out to create a set of long-lasting raised beds for my front garden, wood was my material of choice. Yet, the question of how to keep the wood in good condition is not as simple as it might first appear.