Railroad ties? Seed or hydroseed?

[JLP]

Originally Posted by s275hv

I would pass on the railroad ties as well. My parents used them when I was little and they would weep black goop all over everything that got near them including kids.It was a major pain to clean off and ruined many outfits.

When we bought our house the other people had bought railroad ties. When we went to remove them they were full of bugs and black widow spiders. We couldn't wait to get rid of them. I would pass on them too. They are extremely heavy and don't last forever. The wood rots over time.

[Karana]

A&K Railroad in Salt Lake (about 15000 South and Redwood Road) sales Railroad Ties for landscaping purposes. There are several different options available, and this web page explains the differences.

http://www.akrailroad.com/landscape-ties

[lodderd]

Originally Posted by JLP

When we bought our house the other people had bought railroad ties. When we went to remove them they were full of bugs and black widow spiders. We couldn't wait to get rid of them. I would pass on them too. They are extremely heavy and don't last forever. The wood rots over time.

I agree with the railroad tie comments. We have 2 retaining walls made with railroad ties. I found some stain that makes them look a better, but I'd really like to not have them around at all. The older they get, the uglier they get. The creosote goop that they exude gets all over kids' clothes, hands and feet. And it's hard to pull them out and replace them since they are serving as a retaining wall.

[bsunshine]

What would you use instead of RR ties? I have a garden built up with a concrete retaining wall. I would like to divide my large garden into sections for easier access and for leveling.

[rcsellers9]

We bought wood in the same shape as railroad ties but they are untreated. We stain them once in a while. I think they are made of redwood. We got them from Lowes or Home Depot about 10 years ago and still look great! They don't "weep" and don't have the chemicals in them.

[tykayaus]

Originally Posted by bsunshine

What would you use instead of RR ties? I have a garden built up with a concrete retaining wall. I would like to divide my large garden into sections for easier access and for leveling.

We are just building a retaining wall. We were able to score a great deal on some used garden wall blocks, so that issue is taken care of for us. You could possibly use brick as well or maybe some wood that is safer for landscaping. I am so glad we were able to get around using the RR ties. My parents had them in a yard for a while and I remember hating them as a child. Anyone else want to chime in on hydro-seed vs. seeding yourself? I am really wanting the kids to be able to play on the grass by the time school gets out.