We primarily use two types of wood for our garden centers. Treated lumber is cheaper and when maintained properly can last up to 30 years. Cedar lumber is slightly more expensive but offers the beauty and fragrant smell of cedar and when properly maintained can last up to 20 years. Both are an excellent option for your garden.

Blake Designs is a one stop shop for your garden center. We will provide everything you want from ground leveling, garden soil installation, and garden construction to plumbing water and running electricity to your garden.

An unseasoned cord of red oak weights approximately 4,800 lbs. Our floors are engineered and reinforced to support up to 15-20 tons of unseasoned wood, but open enough to encourage air flow and aid in drying out the wood.

Firewood is considered seasoned enough to burn when the moisture in the wood drops below 20%. The rule of thumb is the lower the moisture percentage the better heat output you will get per piece of wood. Lower moisture also reduces the amount of creosote that can form on chimney walls. Burning wood under 20% moisture also make the wood easier to light and creates less smoke.

There are several ways we recommend checking your firewood to see if it is properly seasoned. Combining the use of our senses and technology you can be sure your firewood is properly seasoned. Sight- once the wood is split open visually assess what the wood looks like. Is it white or green on the inside? Do you see moisture oozing from the fresh-cut wood? If yes, then these are great indicators that your wood is not ready to burn yet. Touch- with your bare hands touch the surface of the split wood. Does it feel tacky or wet? Does it feel sticky? If yes, then these are great indicators that your wood is not ready to burn yet. Smell- is more subjective than the other senses because some wood has a fragrance that is present even after it is seasoned. But smelling your wood can be an indicator that it is not quite ready to burn if it smells sweet or has a very strong odor. The resin and juice from the wood will disappear as the wood dries. Hear- Grab two pieces of firewood from your pile and clap them together. Dry firewood will have a distinct "hard" sound and perhaps ring a little. Wet wood is dense and has a dull sound when hit. Taste- We do not recommend tasting your firewood. That is gross and can lead to an upset stomach or other related sickness. Not to mention the strange stares you will get when people see you licking your firewood. We recommend avoiding this sense. Moisture Meter- these can be purchased just about anywhere. Simply turn it on, set it to wood, and push the probes into the wood surface and the meter will tell you the percentage of moisture in the wood. This is probably the least subjective method of testing and the most reliable means of determining your wood moisture content.