People have been using railroad ties for gardens for ages. It depends who you talk to about how "toxic" they actually are. I suppose if they were brand new, they wouldn't have aged and/or leached anything yet, but if they are used, they've leached off any fresh chemicals over the years, and don't have much left to give. All in all, it depends on how YOU feel, but personally, I don't find an issue with it. Is there better options? Sure, like the supertoxic treated timbers I used. The most dangerous part will be when you drive somewhere to dispose of them. Or, when you don't have time for a home cooked meal, and you eat a toxic, preservative packed frozen pizza or TV dinner. We won't even talk about toxic fast food....

Joe