S5E4 Building raised bed, Birds in the garden Guests Sean and Allison McManus - The Gardening with Joey and Holly radio show

The gardening with Joey and Holly Radio Show heard weekly March - Oct

Email your questions to [email protected] Or call 24/7 leave your
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https://thewisconsinvegetablegardener.com/

In segment 1 Joey and Holly go over building raised bedsBuilding raised beds
Treated or untreated wood
Untreated you can use a all natural wood preservative timber pro coatings
Cedar is a rot resistant wood
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ask-expert/featured/raised-bed-lumber-pressure-treated-safe
The safety of pressure treated lumber for raised bed gardens has been examined by several researchers.
From what I've seen, the consensus is that the chemicals do leach out of the wood into the soil and are uptaken by the plants in very small amounts. However, I haven't seen any research that suggests the level of the chemicals is significant enough to be of concern for human health.
Of course, the primary concern with using pressure treated wood in raised-bed gardens has been with the arsenic in CCA- (chromated copper arsenate) treated wood. This publication from Pennsylvania State University does a good job describing the risks of using both CCA-treated wood as well as ACQ-treated wood: Environmental Soil Issues: Garden Use of Treated Lumber. With regards to CCA, they state, "Although the plant and human health risks from garden uses of CCA-treated lumber appear to be extremely small, there are steps gardeners can take to further reduce any such risks."
One of the steps they recommend is to use wood treated with ACQ - "This is an alternative wood-treatment chemical that contains no arsenic, chromium, or any other chemical considered toxic by the EPA."
If you are shopping for treated lumber nowadays, I don't think you'll find CCA-treated material in the home centers anyway since its use was restricted by the EPA in 2004. It will be more likely be ACQ or some other chemical.

Location
Size
Height
Bottom or not (hardware cloth)
Cardboard or not
Nails or screws

In segment two Joey and Holly go over why birds are good for your garden

Birds in the garden
Birds are good as the eat bad bugs
They can pollinate Certain species of birds are incredible pollinators for your garden flowers.
Some of the best birds for pollination are listed below.
Hummingbirds
Oriole
Sunbird
Honeyeaters
The can help control weeds Another benefit of birds in the garden is they prevent and contain weeds by eating the seeds before they ever sprout.
How to attract birds Use a Bird Bath Near your Garden
Bird feeders with wild delight bird seed as it is not have filler but has a selection of seeds the birds will enjoy
Planting native trees and shrubs in your backyard will provide some things that bird feeders can’t replicate

Flowers can bring birds in the garden
Petunia
Dahlia
Coral Bells
Geranium
Iris
Trumpet Vine
Honeysuckle
Columbine
Azalea
Flowering Tobacco
Bee Balm
Sage
Lily
Rhododendron
Lavender

Plants and berries are fantastic for both gardeners and bird enthusiasts. If you are a gardener, there is nothing better then fresh fruit from your garden. And if you are a bird enthusiast, it is a great way to attract birds to your garden naturally.
Here is a list of bird species I suggest repelling and deterring:
Blackbirds
Pigeons
Pheasants
Grackles
Cowbirds
Crows
Bluejays

These types of birds can destroy your garden and resources nearby. They eat tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, corn, seeds, and sunflowers.
Cover crops with bird netting
In Segment three Joey and Holly welcome Their guests authors Sean and Allison McManus, are passionate gardeners. They also have a blog, podcast, youtube channel and are authors of the book : The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers which will be out April 13 2021 . https://spokengarden.com/
1. You are passionate about the first time gardeners and there were a lot of first time gardeners last year - why are first ti(continued)