Question
I am on a limited budget and want to build walls for my raised vegetable garden with as innocuous a material as possible.Railroad ties are out as are treated lumber.My question is cedar is available however aromatic and poisonous to some degree.Western redwood is too expensive but I am considering this new type of material "Choice Deck" by Weyerhauser made of recycled wood and plastic or better yet 16 inch wide zinc plated sheetmetal that comes in long rolls used as flashing material for roofs.Are there any problems with zinc migration to vegetables from the sheetmetal?Is the plasticized deck material inert enough to not cause health problems?These last two questions are my main options,many thanks Steve Kuhn

Answer
The sheet metal is really sharp, and probably not a good choice for several reasons. Buldging, sharpness of the edge, the zinc, and not so aesthetic. I think you can get sheet metal that is not coated with zinc. The Choice Deck would be a better choice, is inert, and would probably never need replacing. We have made beds out of cedar, and have had any problems.

What, if any materials might be around you?  Rock?  Cement Blocks? Clay soil? Old untreated poles? We have made raised beds from stacking and cementing rock, making cement blocks and stacking them like bricks (there are forms online), old bricks, plain old fir boards - 2 x 8 which last pretty long and are easily replaced, pine poles with holes drilled through them and rebar pounded through the holes deep into the ground, adobe bricks (by mixing mud, cement, and water), and we have poured cement into 3 inch forms, much like a foundation for a house, with flat rocks placed on the inside of the form (so rock will show on the outside of the wall) before pouring the cement. We have used a cement and 1 1/2inch gravel mix.

I think that cement forms would be a good solution, and they are easily made from old plywood or boards to make a long box to hold the cement while it dries.  Pebbles, sand, etc., can be placed on top of the cement to make it interesting.  And, it can be easily made to be a rust like color just by using "Ironite", an iron supplement available in a nursery.

The wall would only need to be 8 inches high, or less, if you dug down into the native soil to gain depth.