{"id":16011,"date":"2021-01-17T07:56:31","date_gmt":"2021-01-17T12:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?p=16011"},"modified":"2021-01-25T08:07:48","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T13:07:48","slug":"raised-bed-edging-material","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/","title":{"rendered":"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/h3>\n

I have used raised beds to make the most of my limited space in South Portland, to reduce soil disruption to protect soil health, etc. However, I am tiring of replacing the pine boards. They last me years but would love a permanent edge so all energy can go to gardening. I see folks using cement blocks, plastic, galvanized metals, all of which leach toxic materials so are not good for organic gardening. Are there any other solutions I am overlooking? I would like them to be 10-12\u2033 deep, like the boards I use, because I like sitting on the edge to tend beds.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/h3>\n

Marjorie Peronto, Extension Educator, Hancock County<\/em><\/p>\n

I have struggled with the same thing, tried many alternatives, and am happy with the following: frames built from rough-hewn hemlock or cedar 4\u2033 x 4\u2033s or 6\u2033 x 6\u2033s.  They are not cheap, but in my experience, these frames last 20 years before needing to be replaced. You can extend the life of your frames by stapling house wrap<\/a> to the inside before adding your soil, which acts as a moisture barrier. The lumber is stacked and held in place with rebar that is sunk 24\u2033 into the ground. I have also used very large rocks to terrace raised beds on a slope. The rocks came from the soil where I was building the garden.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
\"different<\/a><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: I have used raised beds to make the most of my limited space in South Portland, to reduce soil disruption to protect soil health, etc. However, I am tiring of replacing the pine boards. They last me years but would love a permanent edge so all energy can go to gardening. I see folks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[199,202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask","category-maintenance"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Question: I have used raised beds to make the most of my limited space in South Portland, to reduce soil disruption to protect soil health, etc. However, I am tiring of replacing the pine boards. They last me years but would love a permanent edge so all energy can go to gardening. I see folks […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-17T12:56:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-01-25T13:07:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-17T12:56:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-25T13:07:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/\"},\"wordCount\":237,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed-150x150.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Ask the Expert\",\"Garden Design and Maintenance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/\",\"name\":\"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed-150x150.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-17T12:56:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-25T13:07:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":750},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/\",\"name\":\"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard\",\"description\":\"Information you can use. Research you can trust.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/author\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension","og_description":"Question: I have used raised beds to make the most of my limited space in South Portland, to reduce soil disruption to protect soil health, etc. However, I am tiring of replacing the pine boards. They last me years but would love a permanent edge so all energy can go to gardening. I see folks […]","og_url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/","og_site_name":"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard","article_published_time":"2021-01-17T12:56:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-01-25T13:07:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed-150x150.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds?","datePublished":"2021-01-17T12:56:31+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-25T13:07:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/"},"wordCount":237,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed-150x150.jpg","articleSection":["Ask the Expert","Garden Design and Maintenance"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/","url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/","name":"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed-150x150.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-17T12:56:31+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-25T13:07:48+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/01\/sloped-flower-bed.jpg","width":1000,"height":750},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2021\/01\/17\/raised-bed-edging-material\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What are some longer-lasting alternatives to pine boards on raised beds?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website","url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/","name":"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard","description":"Information you can use. Research you can trust.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/author\/"}]}},"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":199,"label":"Ask the Expert"},{"value":202,"label":"Garden Design and Maintenance"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/author\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":199,"name":"Ask the Expert","slug":"ask","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":199,"taxonomy":"category","description":"This is the top level category for all posts submitted to our Ask the Expert gardening questions form.","parent":0,"count":652,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":199,"category_count":652,"category_description":"This is the top level category for all posts submitted to our Ask the Expert gardening questions form.","cat_name":"Ask the Expert","category_nicename":"ask","category_parent":0},{"term_id":202,"name":"Garden Design and Maintenance","slug":"maintenance","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":202,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":199,"count":190,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":202,"category_count":190,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Garden Design and Maintenance","category_nicename":"maintenance","category_parent":199}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16011"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16017,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16011\/revisions\/16017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}