No disease related reason not to use it. But it won't last long. Nature designed dead wood to rot, and it will.

Not a disease problem tgat I know of.

Yes, it will rot, so don’t think of it as a long- term border like hardscaping.

But, I have used such branches and logs to borders” slightly raised” beds while building up soil with layers that will eventually sink down; to do similar digging/ mounding a bed, getting plants established; when not completely sure an area will be suitable enough to do a more permanent structure ( trying out type of plants, or sun patterns).

Typically used in areas that were “ rustic”; also some large branch fall or tree- trimmings had slight curvature, or I cut them into appropriate sections, to use along a curved path.

Yes, they did rot but some lasted several years and I enjoyed the evolution. Since border was only 1 limb high, it doesn’t “ fall over” & remains a border for some time.

Another advantage for me has been, often my “ natural” and also longer- lasting alternative would be to edge with medium- sized rocks- which I use a lot. But, some of my areas are prone to tree volunteers ( acorns & others) & weeds that can get tenaciously entrenched in rock crevices. The dynamics are different with longer stretches of a bordering tree limb.

Well, that is good news. I do realize the temporary nature of the log border, but I'm trying out putting vegetables in an area I haven't done before and don't really know if it will work out, so this should work well. I don't need it raised too high either.

Thank you both!

I've used fallen logs as border too. Right handy. Good luck with your new garden!

There's more good news. As the log rots it will become fine compost for your bed. As time and my body permits I gather and bury limbs and logs to create hugelkultur beds. A tip for those which like the rustic appearance of logs as retainers. Thousands of Eastern Red Cedar trees are cleared and burned to make room for development. A little work with a chainsaw can produce free logs that last much longer than majority of trees before rotting. With some luck you might find Osage Orange which will not rot in less than a century. White Oak (a group of Oaks rather than a single species) and Cypress are also slow to rot. To make retainers two or more high,use a wood bit with extension to make holes for concrete rebar driven in like nails.

I wonder if anyone worries about logs, wood buried and wood chip piles rotting being an attractant for termites?

We don’thave termites but my experience of using wood to edge vegetable beds is that it provides a wonderful home for slugs and snails which then emerge at night and demolish the plants. I have removed it all. But that may be a function of my climate. I’m referring to vegetable beds, not path edges or ornamental beds.

Floral, Gee, that is pretty amazing that you don't have termites...did you mean in the UK? I don't have a problem with slugs, not that I've never seen one in the garden, but my property is fairly dry. I've never seen a snail, ever. So, I'll have to use it to see what happens. I guess I can always remove them. Thanks for alerting me to that potential problem though.

You are so very lucky not to have termites there, if that's the case!

Klem, it's so disturbing to think of how much development still happens that clears trees. And I heard the news the other day that a storm that came through somewhere in this country had knocked down 1/2 million trees. That's just mind boggling.

I've read about Osage Orange and how pioneers used to use them for fence posts etc. I don't know where they would commonly grow. Not a tree you find at the nursery either. I'd be tempted to grow it, but it does develop these very large, very bright round seed pods and proceeds to drop them all over the place. Fine if you have a large enough property to put them somewhere out of sight.

Wow Floral! I don't envy you those snails. You don't cook them do you? lol I guess they are not common here. But we have horrible Red Lily Leaf Beetles that attack the lilies every year, do you have those? They leave a disgusting mess on the plants! I guess we all have something that drives us crazy.

I don't really have much of a problem now with RLLB but rabbits drove me crazy last year. And for all that we all seem to gain enough from our gardens every year to keep doing it.

Yep, we have lily beetles. The disgusting gunk contains the larvae, so it needs removing. Luckily, being red the beetles are easy to spot. And they drop if disturbed so if you cup your hand below them before touching them they'll drop into your palm.

That's too bad Floral, RLLB and Snails! All I can say is the photos you share of your garden are luscious, so you must be working hard to keep those critters manageable.

Since there are many active termite colonies in my area and I bury a lot of wood I do worry about termites but up til now none have invaded my beds. Osage orange is abundant in North Central Texas but not popular as a landscape plant. Interestingly several very large specimens stand in front yards in the two most elite neighborhoods in Dallas,Highland Park and University Park. If it interests you and you vist SMU,both are in same neighborhood. Btw,abandoned homes have been totally destroyed by termites but the Osage Orange stumps that house rested on and termites had to use going back and forth between home and earth remained soiled as ever. After only a few years O O fence posts become so hard special fence staples are sold for attaching new replacement wire when origional wire has rusted away after several decades. Pretty hard wood isn't it? Would you believe a 100 year old fence post can be carved into a fine long bow or suspension spring for horse drawn buggies or antique automobiles? Did I mention how fascinated I am by the tree? (:

Slugs that look like large snails without their armor are common in North Texas but I rarely see one around my yard. I have no way to prove it but I'm convinced it's because I understand pesticides from being in agriculture since born. I'm not 100% organic but when I use synthetics I avail my self before hand. As an example,Fire Ants are a nusance to everyone in this part of country so shelves are loaded with chemicals that are applied indiscriminately by consumers. Black market DDT, Chlordane and other chemicals are brought here from Central America by liberal's future constituents and sold to consumers with too many dollars and too little sense. I use Bifen which is approved for over the counter sales but the quantity I use is less than 10% what people use per the label and where I apply it is quit different than where they apply it per the label.

Back to creatures found in our yards,I've come to view geckos as a barometer for organic practices. That is to say other beneficials seem to appear before geckos which leads me to believe geckos can't flourish unless nature is in balance. I;m interested in hearing opinions on that belief.

I'm pretty sure you have snails in MA, pmoo2, because I brought one home with me from Williamstown when my niece graduated from college, and sent her plants home in my vehicle. I've lived with guilt for the last 25 years because I'd never seen a snail before and now I see them everywhere. I'm convinced my unwillingness to kill that single snail has brought them here to Maine.

floral! Are those beans from this year?!! I still have snow in my yard!

Oh, I'd use that wood, but I don't have termites. I do have carpenter ants, but they're too busy eating the log cabin part of my house to bother with my garden borders.

I was just in Florida with a bunch of Garden Webbers I met here. We didn't see any snails, slugs or bugs while there.

Floral, I’m coming to Englsnd. Shsll i bring you a skunk?

Re red lily beetle goo, you mean it isn’t enough to smear it? I have to remove it?

If that's a Webber you met in Fl and they hitch a ride to Miane, you need'nt kill it but do your neighborhood a favor and send it back to Fl.

I spotted the first lily beetle yesterday on a snakeshead Fritillary. Smearing the gunk should do the trick. And the beans are from a previous year. They're runner beans which start in late June.

p.s. Where are you going, kitasei? You can keep the skunk, thank you. But could you take your grey squirrels back with you, please?

I'll see your squirrels and raise with early blight and some Fire Ants.

No termites here either. And so far, no lily or Japanese beetles either (knock on wood!!). But I can give floral a run for her money with slugs and snails!! The PNW has some of the largest slugs around and voracious snails of all sizes. If I don't encounter live ones - and I usually do - then I encounter their remains with old snail shells found everywhere. Some days I find them 5' up my sliding patio doors!! Snails can get to a lot of places slugs cannot.