margaret_williams5•3mo ago

Tried cedar vs pressure-treated for my raised beds last spring

After 3 years with pine rotted out, the $200 extra for cedar is already paying off and the veggies taste just as good.

3 comments

3 Comments

ellis.mia3mo ago

Are the veggies really tasting different or is it just peace of mind?

the_cameron3mo ago

@ellis.mia I get what you're saying but honestly I think it's mostly placebo. The plants don't care what wood you use and the soil chemistry changes from year to year anyway. I've grown in galvanized troughs, concrete blocks, and plain old dirt piles and never once tasted a difference between any of them. If anything the pressure treated lasts longer than cedar in my experience and doesn't split as bad over time. You're paying for the smell and the look, not the flavor.

patricia_schmidt142mo ago

Have you actually tested that side by side with the same variety of tomato or pepper grown in both cedar and pressure treated beds? I tried that once with brandywine tomatoes and the ones from the pressure treated bed were definitely smaller and a little bitter compared to the cedar ones, but maybe it was just my soil that year being off. What kind of stuff are you usually growing in those different setups?