Faith S
Perpetually learning gardener
Alabama, USA
Railroad ties
4 May '08 10:32 am Hi Christopher,
Yes, I have the same concerns about creosote contamination. Unfortunately, that is what we have to work with, so we will be lining the beds with at least two layers of .5 mil plastic. I also want to try to get some kind of untreated lumber to cover the top surfaces of the bed sides so that workers won't have to contact the railroad ties with any part of their bodies. These are recycled ties, meaning they have been weathering for a lot of years, so much of the creosote has already leached out; however, they will be sitting on a concrete surface in full sun. It is still possible that some creosote could "cook" to the surface. The soil filling the beds will be a mixture of compost and ground bark (for good drainage), so it will be very loose and will not require a lot of working to prepare for planting. This should help to mitigate chances for the plastic liners to be damaged. We will be doing all possible to prevent contamination of the "soil". I do appreciate your concern and your giving our project serious consideration.
We had some bad weather move through early this morning, so we were only able to place six of the eighteen beds we have planned. I took lots of photos, but am too tired to download them this evening. I will try to get to that tomorrow and will post them soon thereafter.
jack two
nominate your own title
The new improved Jack Holloway v.2
Re: Railroad ties
4 May '08 6:05 pm I moved this into your other thread, Faith!
