Just recently I have made a raised bed from salvaged timber ,only downside is that timber has had a woodstain applied to it ,but wood is in very good condition…most of my raised beds are brick construction…Anyway to the point is that i would like to know what material i could use to line the sides .
Is plastic / polythene safe ,or what other materials could I use ..
The bottom of course will be left open ..
Kind regards

Hopefully, the stain will help prevent the wood from rotting as fast as unstained.
Any idea as to type of wood?
I wouldn't add a liner....

I would only be concerned if it was creosote on the outside against the soil. But I agree with stone, plant and enjoy the new garden bed!

I was actually talking about the inside of the raised bed ,and not the outside ..it's the stain on the inside that I am concerned about .
Kind regards sheringham

All wood stains, whether they are oil based or water based, do not increase the susceptibility to rot or absorption of water. If they do anything, they will add to the longevity of the wood that is in contact with the soil.

If it were me, when I stain the outside of the finished bed and if I had stain leftover, I would paint the inside, too. It is generally better to use up products as there were intended, rather than throw them away in the trash. However, if I plan to grow edible plants in the bed, I wouldn't paint the inside.

It seems the stain is already on the wood - both inside and out.
And it seems the raised bed will be used to grow food.
The question raised is, "What to line the inside with?"

I'd use a stiff plastic sheeting. Bamboo shield would be perfect. It comes in varying widths and thickness. Bury the shield vertically and flush against the inside wooden walls so the top of the shield is level with the top of the wood, to make a wall between the soil and wood.
the plastic is not toxic to the soil or plants and will last forever (which is not necessarily a good thing.)

I appreciate all your very kind and prompt answers ,it's a lovely forum but I am new to it ,,and not certain how it works .
Anyhow good answers …I think I will use a pond liner as they are supposed to be safe for environment,,and for food growing .
Please tell me that it is safe to use .
Kind regards sheringham

If you use a pond liner, make sure it does not hold water!
Good luck.

Thank you ,and yes of course ,but I will only line the sides and not the bottom..kindest regards sheringham

I usually go for quick, simple and cheap. When I need to line something like that, I just use heavy duty, garbage bags and staple them in place. I don't know how old your wood is or how much of the original stain would bleach out of it, but even a slight coating of the plastic bags will be sufficient that it doesn't get into your soil. If you want something more heavy duty the garden store should have roles of black plastic. You don't have to go into an expensive heavy duty pond liner for what you need.

Teddysheringham said: I was actually talking about the inside of the raised bed ,and not the outside ..it's the stain on the inside that I am concerned about .
Kind regards sheringham

Nothing to be worried about.
I edged my vegetable garden with railroad ties and there was no problem.

RpR said: Nothing to be worried about.
I edged my vegetable garden with railroad ties and there was no problem.

Well... I did too, about 30 years ago, but I wouldn't recommend it now (or do it again).

Weedwhacker said: Well... I did too, about 30 years ago, but I wouldn't recommend it now (or do it again).

The only annoyance I have/had with them is in less than 20 years 2/3 are rotting/rotted out.

Weedwhacker said: Well... I did too, about 30 years ago, but I wouldn't recommend it now (or do it again).

The only annoyance I have/had with them is in less than 20 years 2/3 are rotting/rotted out.

Weeds THRIVE in the cracks of the worst ones.

"Weeds THRIVE in the cracks of the worst ones."

I don't think whether plants will grow in or around the ties is the issue -- more like what is the creosote (and whatever else; the RR uses some serious chemicals for weed control) doing in terms of contaminating the vegetables that we are consuming.

Weedwhacker said: "Weeds THRIVE in the cracks of the worst ones."

I don't think whether plants will grow in or around the ties is the issue -- more like what is the creosote (and whatever else; the RR uses some serious chemicals for weed control) doing in terms of contaminating the vegetables that we are consuming.

Absorption: Plants absorb less than 0.5% of the creosote available to them.
Impact: The impact of creosote on plants depends on the level of exposure.
Damage: Plants growing too close to creosote-treated lumber can be damaged.

Here are some other things to know about creosote:

Creosote can also be absorbed by animals, including voles, crickets, snails, pill bugs, and worms.
Creosote is readily biodegraded at low concentrations.
The health effects of contact with creosote depend on how much, for how long, and how you are exposed.


At that, I have used lot of creosote and only one RR tie ever still had a goodly amount of solid creosote in the railroad tie (which I found out when I sat on it on a warm day)

The harmful contents of creosote on a RR tie is so small, unless you chew on the wood it is not going to harm any thing.
IF, if it , and the ones you buy are decades old, for what ever reason still has enough active compound to be a problem, plant around will die or not grow at all.

I go for cheap and reuse. So I use the bags soil comes in or plastic garden liners.