loveapplefarm: Just as a point of fact, NO chemically treated wood is allowed in the production of organic or certified organic products. When your property/farm is inspected for certification, believe me, it's one of the FIRST things they look for. Thankfully, when we buy certified organic produce, we KNOW it was not grown in a bed surrounded by railroad ties or other chemically-treated wood. What is your motivation for wanting to use such material--because it's free, or cheap? If you think it through, even free material which has been injected with a known carcinogen, could be hazardhous to your (and your family's) health, and really not worth the risk. Organics is based on working with natural products. I, personally, wouldn't want that stuff anywhere on my property, whether it involved food production, or not. I have a friend who grows Kiwi Fruit in Southern California, and (because he works for the power company and gets them free) uses pieces of telephone poles for the poles in his trellis system. As much as I like Kiwi Fruit, I have to pass on the bushel of them he tries to give me each year.

These are pretty old posts but I hope some people will benefit from this info Between 1990 and 1995 I literally handled over 1,000 RR ties while working for a landscaper. We used over 700 just for one project. I wore gloves but still got a light rash inside my forearms from time to time. It completely went away in a couple of days. I guess we had used them so much that it didn't even occur to me that using them to border my vegetable garden in 1997 could be a bad idea. But after about 10 years had gone by, I was just casually discussing RR ties and creosote and I realized what I had done. So I began researching and investigating the problems of using RR ties. Grass, weeds, and ant hills have grown right up next to them from the beginning. A momma Gopher Turtle made her home under one of the beds with the entry way right next to a tie. That hole has been such a nuisance . I filled it in many times but finally gave up. She would have the hole opened back up by the next day. She wasn't causing any problems as long as I didn't accidently step in the hole. And we really enjoy watching her and her babies crawling around the yard.Nearly every source told me that since they were old used ties to begin with, and I had already used them for 10 years myself, there would be nothing left to leach. So I left them there. My family has eaten a lot of delicious vegetables from that garden over the years. I haven't used any RR ties or utility poles since. But that's not to say I will never use them again. Just not anywhere near something I'm going to eat. I feel like I am already the test dummy for creosote. I'm not going to push it any further. I hope this is some help to people that are concerned. I'll gladly answer any questions that I can.

I live in Gainesville, former home to the infamous Koppers plant that made creosote and arsenic treated lumber, mostly utility poles from what I understand. The soil within a 2-mile radius of the former property is so polluted still that no one can plant anything edible in the ground. The most dangerous health-threatening component of creosote is dioxins, which can be released into the air and settle everywhere as dust. Lethal levels of dioxins were found miles away from the Koppers plant site. The statistics on cancer and especially miscarriages within that two-mile radius is unbelievable. If you care anything about your health, don't use creosote treated lumber in your yard, much less in your veggie garden. According to the EPA, it is illegal to use anything treated with creosote in your landscape. http://www.gardensalive.com/product/railroad-ties-are-not-legal-for-home-landscape-use/you_bet_your_garden

Hi, I'm a new home owner and just discovered that my front steps and landing are a flagstone/brick/concrete facade laid over a bunch of old, wooden railroad ties. About ten years old. The facade is crumbling, but the steps aren't settling or pulling away from the house at all (yet). I don't have any idea what the base is. What do you think: should I save the money now and just rebuild the facade, or am I better off biting the bullet and replacing the whole lot? I have no experience with concrete over a wood base for steps and don't know what problems I'd be signing up for if I try to keep it as is.