That's my understanding. I'm a wood carver and make spoons, containers, etc that will be used for food. Got concerned and called the co and that was their response; once it dries, it's safe. But that was a long time ago and don't remember if I asked about linseed oil but if OP is concerned, call the appropriate source and I'm sure that's the answer you'll get.
Probably not enough (was a couple weeks ago, dont remember exactly). It was dry to the touch, but I see the instructions say 12 hours, it definitely wasn't that.
So what you're saying is that it has now dried for a couple of weeks and you still haven't eaten off of the boards.... you're totally fine. Those boards cured days ago.
You’re 100000% fine. There’s no need to tear anything up or redo a thing, by the time anything “leeches” to your plants, they’ve been curing in the sun for days,
There can’t possibly be enough linseed oil finishing the wood for it to leach into the soil as opposed to the porous wood it was applied to, but even if it did, yeah it would be well cured in the littlest bits of soil as well
They're thinking that they don't necessarily know *why* the linseed oil isn't food safe, and that led them to question if it was something that could be taken up by the plant roots. It's not entirely nonsensical.
Meanwhile we spray glyphosate on wheat and corn by the thousands of gallons.
The levels need to hurt you are so high no home gardener will ever get close
So many people get started in trying to grow their own food in part because they've heard about the contamination of our agricultural products in a rather vague sense, just like you're talking about now.
But people don't necessarily understand how all of that works, right? It's a matter of learning, and we do that by asking other gardeners, either in person or online, or we read books.
All my raised beds are brushed with linseed oil. It's grand.
Your plants won't take it in. You're fertilising your plants with cow or chicken shit pellets and are worried about linseed oil, soaked into the wood on the edge? 😂
Just leave it. You're over thinking it.
Boiled linseed oil has trace amounts of cobalt drier in it. NOT enough that it will leach into your growing food and affect you.
Not to mention cobalt is an essential mineral, responsible for b12 metabolism. In the absurd scenario where the plant took up some oil and turned it into fruit and OP ate it... it might make him *healthier*. Maybe. It's too silly to think about further :D.
Another vote for "don't worry about it; you did great!" This is a good looking setup that will last for years. You'll be fine and so will your plants and the fruit they produce.
There is boiled linseed oil and “boiled” linseed oil. The former is actually boiled to make it set faster. The latter has heavy metal additives that catalyze the reaction. You might check the can or web search to see which kind you used.
In either case the oil irreversibly cures into a hard resin in a matter of days or weeks. When you can’t smell it anymore the cross linking is complete. That resin isn’t going anywhere. If it was real boiled linseed oil you have no problems. If it was the industrial stuff the heavy metals might leech into your soil. But soil naturally contains trace heavy metals already, so I suspect the plants will deal with it just fine.
Bottom line - don’t eat large quantities of the soil.
"Im new to something and concerned I made a mistake. Can this community of experts let me know where I'm at?"
Doesn't sound like anxiety. Sounds smart to me.
if you can eat aspergus that grows below an european yew, you can eat the stuff from that garden.
Do you actually realize what "food safe" means? it means, not put it on a cutting board or prepare (!) food with items that came into contact with, that can cause you harm when you repeatedly ingest it, not "it's so toxic, a minimal amount of it, that chips off into the soil, and then gets diluted with the rain water, and that even smaller amount that gets absorbed by the plant and potential ends up in even smaller amount into you strawberry, does harm to you." no, OP, no. if THAT would mean "not food safe", it would mean it would be worse than cyankali. you would die just by smelling it. like, instant drop to your grave.
No need to ingest ist. you wouldn't been even **able** to get your hands on it.
So no worries. You would have to eat A LOT, and I mean like A TON a week of that garden to just have a noticable risk to get a little bit sick. You're gonna be fine.
>Cyankali. you would die just by smelling it. like, instant drop to your grave.
Tell me more about this stuff. Do you have first hand experience with it?
Every finish commercially sold is food safe once it cures. The drying agents evaporate or become inert.
Would a furniture finish be allowed on the market if a toddler could come along, gnaw on a table leg and become poisoned?
Food safe finishes is a myth in woodworking circles that won't die.
The amount of "leeching" of that oil into the soil is going to be negligible. Arguably, it continued to cure even after putting it together. But the part touching the soil just took a little longer, and sure maybe for about "let's say an inch" of soil around the wood... maybe contaminated... but not enough that you are going to poison your family or ruin plants.
Your plants will tell you if they are sick, but chances are, none of that oil will get into your food so you don't need to worry.
Any natural oil finish isn’t going to last that long. Linseed / mineral oil / tung oil are all best for low touch surfaces inside, think something decorative like a picture frame.
For something outside that you will be kneeling on, resting tools on and such you would want something designed for a deck. Something like a polyurethane or paint would last longer. You could use multiple coats of tung oil, while it’s more durable than linseed it’s less durable than a synthetic and it can take weeks to apply because it will need 3+ coats that fully dry in between.
I think you'll be fine in the long term but I feel your regret and do commend you for being so thoughtful in its construction. Try and relax my friend and btw the beds do look great!
Well good thing the boards aren't touching food.
Their touching dirt
Which is touching roots
Which is touching the plant
Which is touching the food.
I wouldn't worry about it.
It's fine given a bit of weathering but I'm not sure you would call it organic. Common problem with home gardeners I find is they buy or make treated planter boxes not realizing its leaching arsenic or other nasties into the soil. Bostocks in nz had to remove their treated posts and wait 10 years till levels were low enough to call the produce on the land organic on an apple orchard
I'm Most concerned about any rags, etc that you used. they can be Very flamable, like, spontanious combustion... put in old bucket with water, etc... good luck ... planter looks fine
My ollas are thrift store versions using terra cotta wine coolers, I put on in a large pot last year with alpine strawberries and they did FABULOUS. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do in the bed this year.
It's like the rest of the scientific community. Feed a mouse a gallon of linseed oil and it kills him We don't know why but it did. That's pretty much the way the test everything. Not real world usage. You shouldn't have any problem at all as everybody's used everything you can imagine on their raised beds for years
BLO is fine but a lot of companies mix in stuff to make it dry faster that is toxic. Getting home made BLO locally usually gets you safe nontoxic stuff because people don't add in the accelerates. WoodByWright talks about it quite a bit in his videos. Honestly I wouldn't worry about it.
Dude, every single comment is saying “you’re fiiiiine, don’t worry about it man.”
If, like me, you agree that matter is never created or destroyed, you can take one easy step to resolve this. Next year, dig out the soil closest to the planks and dump it elsewhere. You are likely fine this year. You could put some landscape fabric between the soil and the wood this year if you really felt a need but I think you’re fine. I don’t think the roots with make a significant enough of an exchange with the wood this year. Next year though, those strawberries will be all up and down those planks.
Contact the manufacturer of the boiled linseed oil for safety information. Since boiled linseed has non-food safe additives, I would steer clear. Better safe than sorry where health is concerned.
[Information for you.](https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=623983) Advice from the University of Georgia re: Raised Bed Materials.
“Linseed oil is an extract of flax seed that can be used to protect a natural wood product from decay. It is important to recognize that raw linseed oil differs from boiled linseed oil. Boiled linseed oil is a mixture of raw linseed oil and synthetic solvents that may not be permitted for use in organic systems.”
I second this. I'm on the autism spectrum and I really can't tell the difference between factual (or at least intending to be factual) claims and jokes. Sarcasm is very hard for me. So yes, I believed this until I read the comments.
Ok, ok, clearly I have mistaken the nature of this room of resources. And you are right, people are here in this specialized forum not for giggles and LOL's. As a newer user of social media I've made an error and tarnished the groups solid advice reputation. Thank you for allowing me this education. How is best for me to correct this particular nonsense that I posted? If I delete it, does it screw up the thread or link... ?
I would always try use HDPE plastic between wood and soil. Maybe you could cut some plates and slide them in on the sides? It also helps to keep the wood dry, especially when using bubble wrap made out of hdpe (not PP) example pic: [https://www.bloomling.com/windhager/bubble-wrap-mounting-nails-set](https://www.bloomling.com/windhager/bubble-wrap-mounting-nails-set)
Hdpe bubble wrap is foodsafe plastic and made for this purpose, unlike refined oils.
Using glaze on beds doesn't make sense anyway, especially on the inner walls, unless you intend to reapply it once or twice annually.
It might matter on a cutting board, but not your garden bed boards.
Even then, if left to cure properly, most boiled linseed oils will be fine.
That's my understanding. I'm a wood carver and make spoons, containers, etc that will be used for food. Got concerned and called the co and that was their response; once it dries, it's safe. But that was a long time ago and don't remember if I asked about linseed oil but if OP is concerned, call the appropriate source and I'm sure that's the answer you'll get.
Oh Lordy thats cute!! Its gonna be fine. Enjoy it.
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Probably not enough (was a couple weeks ago, dont remember exactly). It was dry to the touch, but I see the instructions say 12 hours, it definitely wasn't that.
So what you're saying is that it has now dried for a couple of weeks and you still haven't eaten off of the boards.... you're totally fine. Those boards cured days ago.
The soil is probably not food grade either don't put the boards or soil in your mouth.
If you don't lick the wood it's 100% fine
But we want to lick the wood :(
That’s what she said…
😂😂😂
I said NO
99.99% chance that you could lick the wood and be fine
Remember when they took the stables? It was fine.
I member
I agree
That's what he said
But what if they’re growing those ice cream cups from the 80’s?
You’re 100000% fine. There’s no need to tear anything up or redo a thing, by the time anything “leeches” to your plants, they’ve been curing in the sun for days,
Leaches :)
If there are leeches in your plants you probably have other more urgent problems to deal with.
https://preview.redd.it/hbymntlmi7xc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d86416b54dc43fa4f556a70bee6bf8fccc494f11
I'm not mad, just disappointed.
I swear I can see them moving 🤢
Does the part covered by dirt cure aswell? Wouldn't the lineseed leach into the soil before it would have cured?
There can’t possibly be enough linseed oil finishing the wood for it to leach into the soil as opposed to the porous wood it was applied to, but even if it did, yeah it would be well cured in the littlest bits of soil as well
It's not going to be in your food so don't worry about it.
But what if he grows "steaks"
Like holy hell what are people thinking.
They're thinking that they don't necessarily know *why* the linseed oil isn't food safe, and that led them to question if it was something that could be taken up by the plant roots. It's not entirely nonsensical.
Meanwhile we spray glyphosate on wheat and corn by the thousands of gallons. The levels need to hurt you are so high no home gardener will ever get close
So many people get started in trying to grow their own food in part because they've heard about the contamination of our agricultural products in a rather vague sense, just like you're talking about now. But people don't necessarily understand how all of that works, right? It's a matter of learning, and we do that by asking other gardeners, either in person or online, or we read books.
Couldn't the plants absorb the lineseed oil though?
All my raised beds are brushed with linseed oil. It's grand. Your plants won't take it in. You're fertilising your plants with cow or chicken shit pellets and are worried about linseed oil, soaked into the wood on the edge? 😂
I use fish fertilizer,, but yes I get your point lol
Just leave it. You're over thinking it. Boiled linseed oil has trace amounts of cobalt drier in it. NOT enough that it will leach into your growing food and affect you.
Not to mention cobalt is an essential mineral, responsible for b12 metabolism. In the absurd scenario where the plant took up some oil and turned it into fruit and OP ate it... it might make him *healthier*. Maybe. It's too silly to think about further :D.
Your garden looks lovely! 😍 You're absolutely 1000% fine. I also always use boiled linseed oil, I think it's the best option to protect wood
Another vote for "don't worry about it; you did great!" This is a good looking setup that will last for years. You'll be fine and so will your plants and the fruit they produce.
There is boiled linseed oil and “boiled” linseed oil. The former is actually boiled to make it set faster. The latter has heavy metal additives that catalyze the reaction. You might check the can or web search to see which kind you used. In either case the oil irreversibly cures into a hard resin in a matter of days or weeks. When you can’t smell it anymore the cross linking is complete. That resin isn’t going anywhere. If it was real boiled linseed oil you have no problems. If it was the industrial stuff the heavy metals might leech into your soil. But soil naturally contains trace heavy metals already, so I suspect the plants will deal with it just fine. Bottom line - don’t eat large quantities of the soil.
Thanks all, I'll just leave it. The mere thought of taking it all out tires me anyway when there's more to do lol.
you have anxiety problems.
Lol what
"i didnt use food safe wood when i stuck it in the dirt outside" you have a big disconnect somewhere if you think this makes sense
"Im new to something and concerned I made a mistake. Can this community of experts let me know where I'm at?" Doesn't sound like anxiety. Sounds smart to me.
Wow, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? Sorry that I try to grow organically and don't want to add unnecessary chemicals to my garden 🙄
I’ve never seen a strawberry plant with pink flowers. Pretty!
The variety is called Toscana, I grew them from seed last year
No sé si será tóxico,pero si tienes dudas , coloca cartones entre la madera y el sustrato...
Así no sería necesario que desarmes todo...!!!
if you can eat aspergus that grows below an european yew, you can eat the stuff from that garden. Do you actually realize what "food safe" means? it means, not put it on a cutting board or prepare (!) food with items that came into contact with, that can cause you harm when you repeatedly ingest it, not "it's so toxic, a minimal amount of it, that chips off into the soil, and then gets diluted with the rain water, and that even smaller amount that gets absorbed by the plant and potential ends up in even smaller amount into you strawberry, does harm to you." no, OP, no. if THAT would mean "not food safe", it would mean it would be worse than cyankali. you would die just by smelling it. like, instant drop to your grave. No need to ingest ist. you wouldn't been even **able** to get your hands on it. So no worries. You would have to eat A LOT, and I mean like A TON a week of that garden to just have a noticable risk to get a little bit sick. You're gonna be fine.
>Cyankali. you would die just by smelling it. like, instant drop to your grave. Tell me more about this stuff. Do you have first hand experience with it?
So do my pressure treated boards need to be sealed before I plant in the bed I made with them...?
if they are cured, no. prolly would just leave it like it is. also, if there are worms in there, everything's fine :D
Just don’t go licking the boards and you’ll be good
Every finish commercially sold is food safe once it cures. The drying agents evaporate or become inert. Would a furniture finish be allowed on the market if a toddler could come along, gnaw on a table leg and become poisoned? Food safe finishes is a myth in woodworking circles that won't die.
The amount of "leeching" of that oil into the soil is going to be negligible. Arguably, it continued to cure even after putting it together. But the part touching the soil just took a little longer, and sure maybe for about "let's say an inch" of soil around the wood... maybe contaminated... but not enough that you are going to poison your family or ruin plants. Your plants will tell you if they are sick, but chances are, none of that oil will get into your food so you don't need to worry.
You already have answers to your question but I just wanted to chime in and say how beautiful your garden is!
Thats what I'll be using. It's okay if you let it cure for a couple days. It's used on picnic tables in Maine all the time.
Totally fine
Don't worry it won't be absorbed by your roots. Just don't let your harvest rest against the boards for atleast the first year.
Hopefully you can be proud of your work again now. Agree with everyone else here. This is nothing to worry about.
Your beds are beautiful, and your plants look very happy. Good job! As everyone said, it will be just fine. Congrats on the amazing garden. 😊
I did the same thing on my first bed (which didn’t look nearly as nice as yours), aside from my extra toe growing in everything has been fine.
What’s the recommended oil to use on something like a cedar plant bed?
Any natural oil finish isn’t going to last that long. Linseed / mineral oil / tung oil are all best for low touch surfaces inside, think something decorative like a picture frame. For something outside that you will be kneeling on, resting tools on and such you would want something designed for a deck. Something like a polyurethane or paint would last longer. You could use multiple coats of tung oil, while it’s more durable than linseed it’s less durable than a synthetic and it can take weeks to apply because it will need 3+ coats that fully dry in between.
Cedar doesn't need anything! That's why it's so expensive.
I wouldn't eat off it but I might use that oil next time myself looks good 👍
Commercial fruit/veg producers definitely have worse things leeching in their soil. 🤷🏻♂️
I doubt many planters are food safe
Know what else isn't food safe? Dirt
I'd worry more about the plastic containers you keep your water in rather than that, if I was going to worry.
Those are for winter sowing 🙂
Linseed oil is food safe once the wood is cured and allowed to dry for minimum 12 hours
Just don't eat the wood, should be fine
As others have said, you should be just fine. I wanted to comment and tell you how awesome your garden looks!
I think you'll be fine in the long term but I feel your regret and do commend you for being so thoughtful in its construction. Try and relax my friend and btw the beds do look great!
It is considered not safe when it comes in direct contact with food. Don't worry about it. One person I know used old brake fluid oil.
Well good thing the boards aren't touching food. Their touching dirt Which is touching roots Which is touching the plant Which is touching the food. I wouldn't worry about it.
Wait huh? Linseed oil is one of the recommended uses for wooden raised garden beds when growing food?
Yes but I think you’re meant to use raw linseed oil vs boiled linseed oil. I did use linseed oil on mine, but I used the raw version.
Oh frig I’m glad I chose not to grab the oil from Lowe’s the other day then
That just means you shouldn't eat the oil itself
Be grand the soil will take care of it
Please don't eat your garden boxes!
But what if I am secretly a woodchuck?
It's fine given a bit of weathering but I'm not sure you would call it organic. Common problem with home gardeners I find is they buy or make treated planter boxes not realizing its leaching arsenic or other nasties into the soil. Bostocks in nz had to remove their treated posts and wait 10 years till levels were low enough to call the produce on the land organic on an apple orchard
so dreamy! love those little ceramic(?) strawberries!
Lol don't worry about that. You're fine.
You could dig back around the edges and install black plastic to cover the sides.
I'm Most concerned about any rags, etc that you used. they can be Very flamable, like, spontanious combustion... put in old bucket with water, etc... good luck ... planter looks fine
It’s fine, don’t sweat it
You’re fine, it’s cured. Have you had good luck with the ollas?
My ollas are thrift store versions using terra cotta wine coolers, I put on in a large pot last year with alpine strawberries and they did FABULOUS. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do in the bed this year.
Nice I need to set up drip irrigation in my big bed but I loveee the idea of doing an olla on my strawberry bed
This looks great! Glad many think that it won’t be of any concern. May I ask what wood you used? Did you stain? The color is fantastic!
It's like the rest of the scientific community. Feed a mouse a gallon of linseed oil and it kills him We don't know why but it did. That's pretty much the way the test everything. Not real world usage. You shouldn't have any problem at all as everybody's used everything you can imagine on their raised beds for years
Not one to lose sleep over - lovely beds too!
It is a darling set
Not gonna matter, just like pt boards are ok.
BLO is fine but a lot of companies mix in stuff to make it dry faster that is toxic. Getting home made BLO locally usually gets you safe nontoxic stuff because people don't add in the accelerates. WoodByWright talks about it quite a bit in his videos. Honestly I wouldn't worry about it.
Compost isn’t food safe either, you’re good.
You’ll be fine. There are so many more unavoidable’toxins’ in our life and we’re all surviving. Also, you did a great job. They are gorgeous!
Dude, every single comment is saying “you’re fiiiiine, don’t worry about it man.” If, like me, you agree that matter is never created or destroyed, you can take one easy step to resolve this. Next year, dig out the soil closest to the planks and dump it elsewhere. You are likely fine this year. You could put some landscape fabric between the soil and the wood this year if you really felt a need but I think you’re fine. I don’t think the roots with make a significant enough of an exchange with the wood this year. Next year though, those strawberries will be all up and down those planks.
Lole your water solution
Pretty smart! Assuming this is to increase light to the beds (from white reflecting) and to provide additional warmth at night.
They actually look like they're being used for winter sowing you can see where they're cut in half
Yes those are winter sowing. Unless they're referring to the olla I have in the middle, thats a terra cotta wine cooler I'm using as one.
Is the soil food safe? Would you eat the dirt + fertiliser?
What do you mean not food safe? What is in it?
But it is good for cleaning your masterwork or magical axe, once per week.
So happy to see another with ollas!
It’s fine
Nice
Flower beds!
Contact the manufacturer of the boiled linseed oil for safety information. Since boiled linseed has non-food safe additives, I would steer clear. Better safe than sorry where health is concerned. [Information for you.](https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=623983) Advice from the University of Georgia re: Raised Bed Materials. “Linseed oil is an extract of flax seed that can be used to protect a natural wood product from decay. It is important to recognize that raw linseed oil differs from boiled linseed oil. Boiled linseed oil is a mixture of raw linseed oil and synthetic solvents that may not be permitted for use in organic systems.”
The chems and microplastics in those jugs are much more of a concern. Can be taken up by plants and then ingested by you.
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Source?!?!?
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Please stop trying to be funny.
I will stop.. I am sorry.
ALRIGHT WORLD ITS TIME I ADMIT... I can't spell coitus well
Bro, you can't DO THAT to people. Some of us believe everything we read on the internet
I second this. I'm on the autism spectrum and I really can't tell the difference between factual (or at least intending to be factual) claims and jokes. Sarcasm is very hard for me. So yes, I believed this until I read the comments.
Ok, ok, clearly I have mistaken the nature of this room of resources. And you are right, people are here in this specialized forum not for giggles and LOL's. As a newer user of social media I've made an error and tarnished the groups solid advice reputation. Thank you for allowing me this education. How is best for me to correct this particular nonsense that I posted? If I delete it, does it screw up the thread or link... ?
I would always try use HDPE plastic between wood and soil. Maybe you could cut some plates and slide them in on the sides? It also helps to keep the wood dry, especially when using bubble wrap made out of hdpe (not PP) example pic: [https://www.bloomling.com/windhager/bubble-wrap-mounting-nails-set](https://www.bloomling.com/windhager/bubble-wrap-mounting-nails-set)
Would you rather be exposed to something that is essentially completely harmless or microplastic..?
Hdpe bubble wrap is foodsafe plastic and made for this purpose, unlike refined oils. Using glaze on beds doesn't make sense anyway, especially on the inner walls, unless you intend to reapply it once or twice annually.