As Robert said there are several types of pressure treated wood - some safe to use and some not - around food. So if you are concerned you will have to find out from the lumber yard which type you have. PT wood prior to 2003 included arsenic and that arsenic could leach out into the soil and onto the skin. Since 2003 the use of arsenic in PT has been restricted to commercial construction uses only (in theory) and the new PT process has the Organic Certification approval on it - YellaWood is one such brand and it is yellow in color. That said, please also know that many people have been using even the old arsenic-treated wood, especially once it has aged, for gardens for years and claim no known problems so it isn't as if folks are falling over dead from it. ;) Several research articles published over the years recommend a 6-12" soil band between the wood and any root crops. If you search 'pressure treated wood' here you will find hundreds of discussions about it that you can review if you wish. Dave

diclemeg, Wait for the soil to thaw before pulling the plants or turning the soil. I wouldn't say that you really need to "till" the soil in the box, but giving it a few flips with a shovel, while you work in some new compost should be plenty. On the previous topic, some things to consider: You are on the verge of a four season garden. If I were in your shoes, I would check out the Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman, Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman and the 12 month gardener by Jeff Ashton. A lot of the varieties that you mentioned would rebound fairly well from a light frost. What they really need is protection from the wind. Snow is not a big problem (it's actually an excellent insulator, and will protect the plants from much lower temps). If you had harvested them during the winter whenever the ground was thawed, you could have enjoyed some very tasty veggies. (Heck, you still might be able to eat them, if you pull them as soon as you thaw out - referring specifically to the radicchio, dandelion, and escarole. You might have to peel off the outer parts of the radicchio, but the center might still be good.) Don't just take my word for it though, check out those books from your local library. The key idea is that while the growing season stops in the winter (too little sunlight), the harvest season can continue all winter long (with the proper steps). Coleman lives in Maine, and is able to have fresh greens all winter long, with some very easy to make protections, and easy to follow instructions. Personally, I got all this information too late to be of any good to me this year, but I can't wait to give it all a try this fall/winter. In your case, you have some plants that might actually be able to rebound sufficiently to be harvestable. (Don't pull them while they are frozen. They can rebound if they are still in the ground. They won't grow like you want, as their primary goal now will be seed making, but if you can pull them before they start to grow again, they should be quite tasty (many of the starches will convert to sugars when exposed to freezing temps in root crops).

Well said justaguy2. I suggest not screwing and unscrewing if you don't have to. You'll increase longevity if you just leave as is. The frame won't be that heavy at all. As for holes, not sure, maybe someone will have a suggestion. Off the top of my head I'd say an ice pick or something that wouldn't turn into a "rip" if that would even happen, maybe Xs would be fine with a knife. If you do line with no bottom, consider corner drainage instead of directly in the bottom center area. Maybe you could even build the box, line the box, fill with soil, and then drill some holes in the sides along the bottom. Just an idea... Sounds like all you need to do is get started!

Got you, took a while, if the packet says thin to 3 inches a row, space rows 12 inches appart, you take the spaceing as your base, so the plants are 3 inches apart all round. 4 inch spacing, 4 all round so a big plant, say cabbage says thin to 18 inches, then therotically, you should give 18 inches all round, I don't! I give them 9" and stagger the rows, as a lot of that space is loose leaves and cuts down on the weeds. I also don't plant a whole Sq foot of say carrot at a time except at the beginning of the season, as with the best will in the world I can't eat 16 of them every 2 weeks, so I plant 8, then 8 and if any arn't showing I replace them. if you can afford it, I would buy the book, as when you go through it, it all starts to come clear? (amazon was the best price I got and at the mo, I think they have a 2 day free shipping, don't know on what, but maybe worth looking at) take a lot of stuff in the book with a pinch of salt (such as mel's mix...sacrilege...burn the witch!), but a really easy read, and some good money saving ideas. hope I got what you meant?