Seal'em with several coats of a latex paint. No more problem.

I'm using soil for the bottom of my sfg boxes.

I would leave the bottom of your boxes open and use a couple of layers of cardboard boxes opened up flat. The cardboard will suffocate anything under it long before the cardboard breaks down. Wouldn't you have a drainage problem with a solid bottom? Also, termites are drawn to pressed board here in the South. Just my 2-cents.

Mary

Hmm, OSB rots fast without any help, I fear adding wet soil to both sides will be not so good, especially if chemicals are involved.
I agree with the cardboard to smother. Maybe a layer of cardboard under landscape fabric would work to smother the existing stuff and keep any new grass from growing up.

Good luck.

You'll want to try at least two layers of weed block. IME the woven papery stuff works best, not the petrochemical. I'd put a layer of cardboard over the two layers as well. And kill the crabgrass outside the boxes too. My 2¢.

Dan

We put 1/4in drainage holes in the OSB for the bottom (like picture on pg 58 in All New SFG book) and had planned on setting it up on bricks to keep off the ground. The sides of the boxes are just regular 2x6 untreated wood and are painted white on the outside as well as the top of the grids too (no painted part will touch soil).

I hadn't thought about termite issues and having wood boxes...duh! The shed had em about 6 years when we purchased this house.

I like the cardboard and newspaper ideas, but the husband has spent a lot of time getting the boxes ready and I know he'll be upset when I tell him to not use the bottoms. Also, I just took all the excess cardboard to the recycle center a few weeks ago...so it'll take another 1-2 months to accumulate enough to cover :-(

I was thinking maybe covering the OSB on the bottom w/some plastic sheeting (like a tarp but see through) and securing it with a staple gun around each drainage hole? I noticed in the FAQ for SFG that some use the plastic to line the sides of the boxes too so that the wood lasts longer so that made me think about using it for the bottom.

What do you all think about plastic sheeting covering the OSB bottom (where it would touch soil)?

April

How about Foam Tex? We covered OSB with this to replace old skirting on a mobile home, then the dirt was pushed up to cover it. The photo is upside down so you can read it, the mobile home is actually right side up ;-)

{{gwi:1266434}}

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

I have a SFG box made of 2x10 and plywood that is off the ground. I lined the box with 6mil poly. poly is the plastic sheets that they sell in lumber yards to vapor sealing houses. You can buy it by the foot. I stapled it to the bottom and sides of the box(inside of course). I drilled a few drain holes in the bottom. Works great, and keeps the wood from rotting too fast.