MATERIAL

COST/FOOT

PROS

CONS

Hand Built Raised Beds

0

No cost, no installation required

Must be rebuilt each year, no containment

Untreated Pine/Spruce

.55 – 2”x8”x16’

Inexpensive, boards are 2” wide

Requires some carpentry skills, wood rot and insect attack

Hardie Panel Cementatious  board

.79 – 3/8”x12”x12’

Inexpensive, will not rot, no insect damage, lasts for years.  Boards are 3/8” wide.

Requires some carpentry skills, material is brittle, needs some support which adds to cost

Pressure Treated ACQ

.81  - 2”x8”x16’

Inexpensive, resists rot and insects for years.  Boards are 2” wide

Requires some carpentry skills, classified as a group 1 human carcinogen

Concrete Blocks

$1.20 - 8”x8”x16”

Cost is reasonable, will never rot or decay, easy installation by anyone

Blocks get very hot in summer sun, transmitting heat to plants and humans alike, additional cost to fill cores. Blocks are 8” wide

Natural Cedar

$2.84 - 2”x8”x16’

Rot and insect resistant, boards are 2” wide

Expensive, requires some carpentry skills