6 Non-Toxic Wood Preservatives

Linseed Oil
It didn’t take early agricultural civilizations very long to find uses the flax plant. Lots of uses, actually, including food, medicine, and fiber.  The oil pressed from flax has also been used for centuries as a natural wood preservative because of its ability to penetrate deep into porous fibers, and protect wood from moisture and rot. Raw linseed oil is cold pressed from flax flower seeds, and purified and refined through the process of boiling, which eliminates protein and improves properties like drying time and finish. Pure Linseed oil is non-toxic, and safe to use as a wood preservative in organic garden structures like raised beds, greenhouses and chicken coops.

TimberPro UV
If you’re used to wood preservatives wrapped in warning labels with lots of explanation points, skulls, and crossbones, you might be skeptical when you open a bucket of Internal Wood Stabilizer. The clear, non-toxic  liquid has no odor, and with the consistency of water, it can be easily rolled or brushed onto bare wood. Timber Pro Internal Wood Stabilizer has a chemical reaction with naturally existing free alkali in wood pores. Over time it permanently hardens into silicate glass crystals that fill the pores, and help prevent water from soaking into the wood.  

Tung Oil
Gunpowder. Kung Fu. General Tso’s chicken. Much has China contributed to the world, and among these gifts we can also count Tung Oil ; a natural oil preservative that has been used to protect and seal wood for centuries. Tung trees grow primarily in the mountainous regions of China, and pure tung oil is made by cold pressing the tree’s seeds. Pure tung oil is non-toxic, and safe to use on organic garden structures that have contact with food supplies, including raised beds, chicken coops and greenhouses. Tung oil seals moisture out of wood and its elastic properties help it provide continuous protection, even as wood expands and contracts in the elements.

Eco Wood Treatment
Plenty of wood preservative products claim to be ‘natural’ and ‘eco-friendly’, but when both LEEDS and the Green Building Council give the thumbs up, you should take a closer look. Eco Wood Treatment is a non-toxic, mineral-based powder that, when mixed with water, permanently protects wood with one application. The product penetrates deeply into wood fibers, and never cracks or peels. Eco Wood Treatment contains only organic compounds, and is safe to use on garden structures like raised beds, chicken coops and cedar greenhouses. Select from a variety of tinted colors, or even create a custom color so that new wood can be matched with an existing structure.

Lifetime Wood Treatment
It’s not often that a recipe lasts 60 years, but some are good enough to withstand the test of time. But unlike your grandmother’s beef stew, Lifetime Wood Treatment has become a favorite non-toxic wood preservative for builders and wood workers  around the planet. Like an heirloom tomato variety, this unique family recipe has been passed down through generations of woodworking craftsmen. The natural formula penetrates wood fibers, and seals out moisture, plus Lifetime Wood Treatment creates no toxic residue. It is safe to use for raised beds, chicken coops, greenhouses and other organic garden structures.

 Pine Tar
Without pine tar, fleets of marauding Nordic vessels might never have ventured from the safety of harbor, leaving throngs of fur-clad warriors to instead play chess and write poetry. Pine tar has been used for hundreds of years to seal and preserve wood, and it’s still used today to seal utility poles, roofs, boats, fences,  and other outdoor structures – even below ground. Preserving your raised beds with pine tar might not have such historic implications, but it will safely extend the life of the wood without contaminating the surrounding soil with toxic chemicals. Thor would be proud, and perhaps a little curious about the shiny metal wagon parked in the driveway.

Citing Greenhouse's Superior Strength, Big Bad Wolf Declines to Huff and Puff

Like a fairy tale chalet, the Kahn family’s greenhouse sits along a winding pathway, at the edge of a wooded forest. A thick canopy of white oak and tulip poplar branches sway overhead, and you wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see Little Red Riding Hood smile politely as she passed by on her way to grandmother’s house

The Kahn’s are experienced organic gardeners. Theyy're well versed in the nuances of soil fertility and the timing required to feed a continuous supply of fresh produce from the garden to their kitchen.  Since the beginning, they have planted their gardens with organically grown heirloom seedlings, which give them a huge head start over direct seeding, but are in high demand, and not always easy to find.  

With a greenhouse, they could raise their own heirloom seedlings, instead of chasing down the limited supply of locally grown seedlings before they got snapped up by other gardeners.  

Kahn Family's Cedar Greenhouse from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

The Kahn’s liked the elegant simplicity of the Microfarm cedar gable greenhouse design, and we selected a sunny site just behind their organic garden.  The greenhouse measures 8’x8’ and is about 9’ tall at its peak. It’ framed with rough sawed red cedar 2x4 lumber spaced 24” on center. This stout frame, combined with the 8mil Polygal twin-wall polycarbonate glazing, far exceeds the snow, wind, and ice load capacity of comparably sized, prefabricated  greenhouse kits. A timeless, proven greenhouse design, even the big bad wolf knows better than to huff and puff against this solid structure.

To simplify the installation process on site, our team partially assembles sections of the greenhouse in our workshop. These sections are transported to the site where the greenhouse can then be assembled in a single day.

The Kahn’s greenhouse is anchored to a sturdy base of 4”x4” cedar timbers, and the crushed gravel floor provides excellent drainage and traction.

Vent windows that automatically open and close to allow heat to escape, and help maintain an ideal grow environment inside.

Gardening in Microclimates

According to your cold hardiness zone map, your organic garden should be winding down like a theme park in October. Yet colossal rows of kale and chard continue to sway in the late autumn sunshine,   quickly bouncing back from every harvest like a scrappy featherweight boxer with something to prove.

Uptown, your little sister’s terrace garden has always struggled. It’s perched on a balcony, 36 stories up, and gets loads of direct sun, but it constantly guzzles water, and always looks tired and dried out.

At your parents’ place on the outskirts of town, barns and cornfields have yielded some ground to custom homes and sidewalks, but the pace is still slower, and at night, the sky is bursting with stars. Their sprawling ‘Victory’ style plot is straight out of a WWII propaganda poster, and while their summer garden produced jaw dropping yields, their fall plantings always seem to stall.

All three gardens are in the same USDA cold hardiness zone and well cared for, so why the different results?

Microclimates.

A microclimate is a smaller, defined area where the weather conditions differ from the area that surrounds it. A microclimate can be cooler or warmer, wetter or drier, or more or less likely to experience frosts than the surrounding area. A microclimate can be as small as an area in front of a brick wall, or a swath of land extending several miles.

Topography and Microclimates
Variation in land topography has a major impact on microclimates. Because cold air is heavier than warm air, it flows downhill on cold nights, pooling in low spots , much like water collects in puddles. Valleys can be 10+ degrees colder than surrounding slopes on winter nights, and are often more susceptible to frost. This might by why the folks’ victory garden stalls when nighttime temperatures start to drop. While the risk of frost from radiational cooling is lower on peaks and hilltops, exposure to high winds can dry out plants and trees, especially when the ground is frozen.

The microclimates on slopes between valleys and hilltops can also vary widely depending on their orientation. In spring, North-facing slopes receive less direct sun, and are slower to warm than south facing slopes.  And while a south facing slope may give gardener a head start on the spring season, but beware the late spring frost, which can damage plants and trees that have bloomed early.

 Large bodies of water, like the Atlantic Ocean and Great lakes help moderate air temperature of areas that extend several miles inland, and also help mitigate low temperatures in winter. These areas are less prone to late spring and early fall frosts, and even smaller lakes and ponds can have a similar, if less profound effect.

Urban Microclimates
Because paved surfaces and buildings absorb heat during the day, and radiate it back into the air at night, urban areas typically experience less extreme low temperatures in winter than surrounding areas. Depending on the site, buildings sometimes offer protection from wind and can help reduce the chance of frost , or  increase exposure to high winds that intensify as they funnel between buildings. Urban areas are sometimes a full Cold Hardiness Zone warmer than surrounding areas, and the same factors that warm the temperature in winter, also trap heat in the summer, making summer growing  conditions unsuitable for many types of plants.

Microclimates near structures
Houses, fences, walls and other structures can create multiple microclimates around your property, and  like urban microclimates, the heat that is absorbed by your house during the day radiates back out at night. Is it a coincidence that your garden thrives in a sheltered nook on the south side of the house?

The sides of your home opposite prevailing winds can provide a warmer, shaded microclimate, and remember that as wind hits your house, it picks up speed along walls and around corners. Consider this carefully when selecting plants and trees.

 Fences, walls and boulders can create small sheltered areas, where they serve as a windbreak, and can also absorb heat, and radiate it back on the plants at night. As cold air drains, or flows over the ground at night, these structures can create a puddle of cold air that can cause frost damage even when the surrounding air temperature remains above freezing.

Like buildings and walls, paved surfaces including driveways and patios can also moderate night time low temperatures by absorbing heat and radiating it at night. But remember that these areas are impervious to water, and if storm runoff channels into one place, and soggy wet spot can result. The same thing can happen where water flows out of downspouts and off rooftops.

Trees and Soil
Large trees can create their own microclimates by casting shade, and preventing rain from reaching the ground around them. Established roots can compete aggressively for water and nutrients , making it difficult to grow some varieties of plants around the base of larger trees.

Soil types can also affect microclimates. Heavy clay soils, for example, can moderate temperatures at ground level, much like impervious paved surfaces. Air filled loam soils can insulate sub soils, trapping heat underneath, and creating more risk of frost at ground level.

5 Reasons to Give The Gift of Microfarm this Season

Organic Garden
You’ve been considering growing your family’s organic food in a Microfarm raised bed for a while now. The local produce aisle has become more crowded than a bus ride across the Peruvian countryside, and just this week, your first grader asked you what kind of tree grows tater tots.  You would have bought once for yourself a long time ago, but were reluctant to take the lead on yet another family project.

But ‘tis the season for giving, so you can present your husband with a Microfarm Kitchen Garden or Cedar Timbers raised bed this Christmas. He loves anything made out of red cedar, and since it’s his garden, he’ll be on the hook for all the watering and weeding.

Greenhouse
Every time you walk into the den, your son and his friends get quiet, and pause the TV. There are more pretzel crumbs in the sofa than dice in Las Vegas, and you swear you smell pot smoke. Piled up empty pizza boxes and soda cans suggest an larger gathering more suited for a convention center.

Not only would a Microfarm Cedar Greenhouse be handy for overwintering your citrus trees, storing garden tools, and starting organically grown heirloom vegetable seedlings, but you could push the teen party out there. They’re bound to learn a thing or two about gardening, and they’ll definitely thank you later when girls start showing up.

Chicken Coop
When you ordered that prefabricated coop kit online last year, it looked so adorable on the computer screen, you just knew she would love it. But when you got it assembled in the backyard, it looked more like the toy in a kids meal.  Your wife’s backyard flock is fully grown now, and when she puts them up for the night, the coop looks like a porcupine with feathers.

This year, impress her with a Microfarm Cedar Chicken Coop.  Whether you choose with the Garden Ark, Playhouse Coop, or the Garden Coop, you’re sure to hit a home run. All three designs feature sturdy cedar frames wrapped with galvanized hardware cloth mesh, and covered runs built right in. Best of all, you can stay in your jams and move on to the next gift, while our experts handle the installation.

Compost Station
It’s hard to find words to describe your neighbor’s compost heap, but here goes. It has the unmistakable aroma a Captain D’s dumpster and all the charm of a municipal landfill. It’s a tossup whether the raccoons, possums or rats like the chicken bones best. Luckily you have plenty of time to think of other descriptions, because it’s only eight feet from your bedroom window. 

Otherwise they’re good neighbors  and they throw an awesome holiday party. So why not surprise them with a Microfarm Cedar Compost Station this year? It’s a sharp looking design that’s easy on the eyes, and turns organic material into compost in no time. Just have a talk with them about those chicken bones…

Glazed Cedar Cold Frame
It felt like things were getting serious. So serious in fact, that you were just about to suggest some holiday ring shopping. That is until she casually told you that she was “so happy that we can keep things light and fun.” Guess you didn’t quite connect on that scuba diving trip to Mexico like you thought you did.

It’s okay, though, because deep down, you don’t mind another year of freedom. She loves plants and nothing says ‘sure we can keep this casual and fun’ like a Microfarm Glazed Cedar Cold Frame. It shows you’re the perfect combination of attentive, and aloof, you’ll be her hero on Christmas morning.

Potting Bench
Mom is proud of you, and for good reason. You haven’t lost a case in almost three years and you just made partner at the firm. You’re a great father, and you’re pretty handy too. You only had to call the help line twice to get that IKEA crib assembled, and every year you get the Christmas tree a little straighter. But custom made outdoor furniture? That might be a stretch, even for a renaissance man like you. Not to worry, because mom would be just delighted to get a hand crafted Microfarm Red Cedar Potting Bench this year, and so would the budding little gardener at home for that matter. We can even pack them on our sleigh, for delivery anywhere in the greater Charlotte area in plenty of time for the holidays.

Extend Omelet Season With Supplemental Coop Lighting

Since you started your backyard flock, you’ve become fresh egg loving maniac. You eat at least one omelet a day, and think cholesterol is just another liberal conspiracy against the egg. You have a bumper sticker that reads, “ my chickens are smarter than your honor student.”  You haven’t paid for eggs in months, and you’re not about to start now just because it’s sweater season again. But how do you maintain egg production during the dark winter months? Supplemental lighting is the answer, and lucky for you, it’s easier than making huevos rancheros.

Begin augmenting daylight with supplemental coop lighting when the day length has decreased to about 15 hours, which is usually around September for most parts of the US. Maintain the supplemental lighting program throughout the winter until the day length has returned to 15 hours, and you can keep the eggnog flowing all winter long.

One 60 Watt bulb is sufficient to light as much as 200 square feet of coop space, and incandescent fixtures may not win any awards for energy efficiency,  but adjusting the wattage is as easy as switching out the bulb, and produce the warm wavelength light spectrum that stimulates a hen’s reproductive cycle.

While it may seem more convenient to leave the supplemental light on all the time, there’s no benefit to egg production beyond 18 hours of light, and it’s wasteful. Use a timer to add time in the morning and afternoon to achieve about 15 hours per day, giving your flock about eight hours of darkness every night to sleep and rest their immune systems.

Is your coop not wired for electricity? Solar and battery powered supplemental lighting kits are easy to install, but timers can sap the battery in these types of systems, and you may have to manually switch the light on and off.

Center the light above the living area in the coop – above feeders, but away from the nesting area which should remain dark. Placing a reflector behind the bulb increases light output, and remember that cobwebs and dust will diminish light intensity, and should be removed in weekly cleanings.