Best Natural Stain for Cedar Garden Beds

  For those of us who love raised bed gardening, chances are good that your beds are made of cedar: it’s one of the best woods for outdoor use, due to its rot-resistance & long lifespan.  But is there a way to safely stain beds in order to extend their lifespan, and make them a darker, richer color?  ABSOLUTELY.  I’ve stained several of my 16+ garden beds, & my top question before doing so was: what is the safest, most non-toxic stain that won’t negatively affect my plants or vegtables??  In this article, I’ll show you the “Best Natural Stain for Cedar Garden Beds,” that I’ve safely used on numerous beds that are all flourishing….

I’ve used linseed oil on pretty much every garden bed in this shot (I applied last fall), & as you can see by this photo taken today: ALL plants are healthy & growing like crazy!

My Favorite Non-Toxic Wood Sealer for Cedar

I looked into many wood stains at both Home Depot & Lowe’s.  The problem with nearly ALL of them, particularly if you already have plants in your beds: they are FILLED with chemicals.  It’s almost impossible to find a traditional wood stain without chemicals ~ & these chemicals will eventually leach into your soil through the porous wood, which can negatively affect your plants, & will certainly impact your vegetables & fruits. 

Enter: LINSEED OIL. 

I’m not sure how I discovered linseed oil (probably on a DIY-blog of some sort), but since buying my first bottle of it on Amazon ~ I’ve purchased nearly 8 more.  My garden is BIG!!  Lots of wood to stain.  I’ve also used it on teak furniture to make it look shinier & healthier; it’s worked wonders.  Linseed oil is safe to use on virtually all surfaces in your garden….

I used linseed oil not only on my garden beds ~ but also to freshen up this outdoor teak console table. This shot is mid-way thru the application process…

And this is the finished product: shinier, happier, healthier wood!

What I Love About Using Linseed Oil:

• It’s SO easy to use & apply. WAY easier than painting something, as the consistency is like olive oil; you’re basically brushing this oil right onto the cedar, & it goes on like butter. My wood SOAKED it up.
• Super easy, quick process; very hard to mess up.
• You can tell almost instantly how good it is for the wood: prior to staining, my cedar was looking dried out ~ after one application of linseed oil, it instantly looked richer & happier. Healthier.

This is a “Before” shot of one of my wine barrels, looking a little dry & sad….

And here is the “After” ~ the wood looks richer & much healthier. And as you can see, all my plants are thriving…

Best Natural Stain for Cedar Garden Beds

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