I live in California and have just had raised beds built from birch wood. They are filled with soil. Do I need to paint or stain the outside of the boxes? If so what would you recommend? Thank you.
Obviously you need to be very careful with paints and stains around edible plants to make sure it doesn’t get into the food. There are lots of options out there though HERE’S an article all about it and a web search for “eco friendly paints and stains for raised beds” will show you even more options.