Seeking opinions on concrete block vs wood raised beds?

I currently have a 5x10 concrete block raised garden and I am looking to expand. Aside from construction, is there any advantage to wood beds?

Thanks ahead of time!

Wood beds are cheaper if you have a truck and trailor and a saw mill that cuts logs handy. Often times they will sell you slabs. around here for 12 dollars you get about a two tons of 12 to-16 foot long slabs. I bought two loads of cidar slabs and had enough wood to build 6  5x16 raised beds, 4 8x8x5 tall composters and some other stuff plus alot of firewood. So I got the wood to do it all for the low low price of 24.00 puls time and gas. Not bad.  

I built about 500 sq. feet of raised beds/cold frames. with a combined cost of about 15.00 dollars plus time/

If you can find thick cidar slabs they will last 5 or 10 years depending on how you keep them. Pine, Oak or hickory might last 5-6 years. Maple, poplar etc wont last more than 5 years.

well, believe it or not (esp since there's no inflation), 6x6x8' landscape timbers are $24 and up here
it takes a lot of timbers to do anything.

it's cheaper to buy blocks or even retaining wall blocks

and the blocks last a LOT longer and once you get the first course up (always the toughest), blocks are just stack em and go where timbers you have to cut to fit and nail (well rebar) in each one.

blocks or retaining wall blocks are the way to go.

Concrete for the win.  Wood sounds better until you realize you need twice as much as you though, have to deadman it, have to stake it to the ground, have to either stain it or let it turn to shit, etc etc etc etc....

I started with 4x4s from Lowes held together with galvanized nails and lag bolts, that looks very good but only lasted about 4 years before the bottom wood was rotted through.  I then went to cinder blocks and even though it doesn't have the perfect straight line, I have no problems with it keeping together through the years.  Cinder blocks all the way for me, especially when you find a contractor that had extra blocks they want to unload for cheap.

I have 4 wood raised beds.

They are 4' wide by 16' long and about 18" high.  I used 2x10's to make them.

The first 2 I made 4 years ago, held the corners with deck screws into 4x4"s and 2x4's in the middle.

After 4 years, the middle 2x4's have rotted and they are bulging and the corners are starting to rot.

The other 2 I made 3 years ago and after making them, I put on some wood sealer and they are starting to have rot in the corners and middle.

right now I have a crop in them so after harvest I am going to lay cement blocks around them and remove the wood.

Wood has it's uses but I don't think it's a good choice for raised beds.

Wood does poorly when in constant contact with moisture.  So a nice wet raised bed would keep that side of the wood damp all the time.



I have seen people use plastic liner to keep the water away from the wood, but overall I like wood for something that can dry at some point.  Sheds and houses with decent drainage and what not.



When I recently installed a mailbox post I tried one of those large stakes you drive in the ground and then it holds the 4x4 post.  I was dang happy with installation, small scrap 4x4 and a sledgehammer had it in the ground easy even though ground around here is not just dirt.  I got lucky partly and the sledge made its own luck.



I consider blocks to be a bit like legos but if you concrete em in or something they are no longer recyclable.  I had some for shelving in a shed at my other place, college shelving of 2x4s and cinder blocks.



I moved em and don't have the shelving space at the new place so for now they are half a dog pen floor.  Dogs don't care and they hose clean.  I need some more to finish it out.  Landlord is not worried about grass getting killed, if I move pen or move me and pen the dirt gets scratched up and reseeded.



I have some larger ones I am wondering about messing with for a corner for a couple gates and while I want them secured I am wondering about taking them apart again.  Running something through them to hold em together but allow them to be undone is what I am wondering.



Heck, I use em for blocking tires on trailers or vehicles or whatever as well.  and I mean blocking by stopping the vehicle rolling, I don't use em as jackstands or anything like that.

I tried wood non treated lumber and they only lasted 4-5 years.  This year I went all out and built a steel box out of 3/16" plate.

Grove

I don't know how well wood beds would work, but I love the concrete beds we put in.  If you think you will change your mind later, I would go with wood.  Otherwise, concrete has a lot of advantages.  It's sturdy, it's lasts a very long time, and it retains heat so you can plant earlier and keep your plants going later.  Dress it up with some cap blocks and it even looks (almost) upscale.

I'm debating between concrete blocks vs something like what ORMilitia did:

Corrugated metal & wood raised beds

I think his beds are beautiful; certainly more attractive than concrete blocks. Being in Texas, heat is a concern and it seems metal might be better than concrete in that respect, but I'm not sure about that. So for me, the choice is metal or concrete. This thread confirmed that I do not want wood raised beds.

I only care about looks when I get bored and have some odds and ends to use up to make something amusing to me and sometimes annoying to the neighbors or landlord.



Concrete can be painted or covered.



You can put little sticks in the joints and let vines and stuff grow on the block, this might not work very well for accessing what is in the bed of course but if you can work the bed from 3 sides and "pretty" side might get covered in kudzu or ivy or something.



Heck, you could put the sticks in and add mortar or whatever they call it.



Depends on how you build it and what you do.



I have been thinking about some rammed earth concrete blocks with rods in them and into the ground.  Won't be as good as poured block but would also come apart if I want to move it.



Since I rent I change things here and there according to moves and what not.  Current landlord is very easy to deal with since place needs upkeep and I am working on cleaning up a lot of stuff.  



Rammed earth is more common with old tires and I don't think it would work great with concrete block but I am reasonably happy with free stacked block a lot of the time.

thanks for the input!

I'm going to also vote for concrete blocks. They are much cheaper than wood in my area. I did wood beds before ever thinking about the concrete block approach unfortunately.

LOL, my first raised beds were 4'X16', made of 1"+ poplar 18 years ago, with 4X4s at the corners and every 6' inside:(was putting up 3 board horse fence so used what I had)

Actually still in use,  but ran block around the perimeter about 10 years ago, as dirt was falling out thru what was left of the wood!.
Have used block ever since for all new ones.

LOL< earlier poster who said they were LEGOS was dead on, we use them for every thing.

You can usually find people on Craigslist giving away concrete blocks or selling them for around 1/2 price.  I like free or at least cheap stuff.