Nt sure if this is the right place to ask but here goes anyway, i have made a wooden planter using pine wood and i would like to know what i can treat it with to protect it from the weather outside, i intend to grow some herbs in it and have heard that treating it with the wrong stuff can absorb into the soil and plants which makes them unedible. So how or what can i use to treat it so i can eat the herbs safely?
I just wanted to bump this thread, as I'm also curious. The much higher cost of something like cedar (which apparently doesn't require treatment) is a little much, but I really want to get more garden space.
Well here's the planter i made and i have also lined it with a plastic sheeting but i still want to treat the outside to stop the rain penetrating it too much, its in a pretty sheltered spot but i would still like to treat it. I was thinking of varnishing the outside but still don't know if it would be wise or not.
Now that right there is a gorgeous piece of kit. People would probably pay an arm and a leg for something like that. If you've got it lined with plastic, you could probably get away with using most things to treat the outside, as it wouldn't likely leach past the plastic. Since it looks like pretty nice wood, maybe just a regular outdoor stain would do the trick.
Yeah, I think you would do fine with any commercial water sealer, like you would put on a deck. The plastic on the inside will shield the soil from the wood, and vice versa. make sure you seal the inside of the boxes (behind the plastic) as you will have sweating and condensation between the plastic and the wood and no way to quickly dry. Put a couple coats of sealer on the inside and out, and periodically clean and reapply new sealer just as you would on a house. (every few years) Good looking planters!
Yeah thanks i never thought of doing the inside too, well i did before i lined it but after i'd lined it i was just going to treat the outside mostly, i thought the plastic would shield the sealer getting into the soil but i wanted to make sure so thanks for the advice. Off to the DIY store at the weekend then for me.
Yeah i don't really want to stain it a different colour as i like it as it is so i will have to look out for a sealer that is pretty much clear. Your right about Cedar though it is expensive, thats why i went with Pine but i'm happy the way it turned out. Thanks for the advice anyway ;o)
I'd use Varethane or something similar at this point - the plastic is going to protect the plants from any leaching.
