SWMBO wants some raised beds made, railway sleepers or similar.
They are going on an area which is currently slabbed with those attractive 70's pink & yellow slabs - which will be removed.
Carpentry no problem - but should raised beds be lined with anything?
Not worried about the timber rotting - it will be pressure treated. More moisture retention.
When I built deep raised beds, I put a layer of rock/rubble at the bottom for drainage, then lined the bottom and sides with landscape fabric, to stop the soil filtering into the rocks. It's been years now, and seems to be working well. I used man-made 'ashlar' stones, rather than timber.
I would line the inner face with Terram ... keep soil in and let water permeate. Wood might not 'need' it, but it will keep it cleaner.
If you are in S.Wales area at any point ... I have plenty.
Or less technical just line it with a DPM poly sheet (thick black visqueen or similar)
I'm assuming there will be hardcore under the slabs, so fabric seems a good idea - ta.
Hmm there must be a craze going round, so does mine!
I have seen some suggestion of plastic liner over the timber to preserve that, but not for any other reason.
I made 'ers out of 3x3 corners hammered in, and split pole pressure treated. Very 'rustic'.
it still rots. wont last forever. as much on the outside IME as the inside.
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While on the subject...
Design issues:
What is the optimal depth? Ideal size?
I looked at some ready made kits, and they all seemed quite shallow - some as little as 6". Many made from very skimpy timber as well.
I was thinking either 9x2" tanalised, or perhaps 2 x 5x2" - the latter could be joined nicely at the corners with a 2.5"x2" notch out of the corners allowing a pair of half lap joints.
If one does a section of 3x3" post in each corner, would it be worth extending this above the top a bit? - either to make something nice to tie strings to for support etc (thinking vegetable use here)...
I was thinking 18" to 24" high.
Nice. That would work for 18" with 2 x 9"x2" or 3 x 8"x2".
Mine are going to be either side of a pergola, so I'm having posts anyway.
It also occurred to me that they could be - on occasion - topped by perspex 'lids' in timber frames to act as mini greenhouses (can't think of the name).
Need to keep a little in mind how much top soil one will need... 8' x 4' (keep the middle reachable from either side) and 12" deep would be 32 cubic feet - that's a fair amount of soil.
About 1.2 tonne / m^3 IIRC?
Closh or something like that...
cloche, cold frame, propagator.
Owain
Mine will only be accessible from one side - so only 2' front to back.
Metre cubed from Wickes about £120.
Ah yes. Education is a wonderful thing.
'kinell... remind me not to go there... Or did you have a missing decimal point?
£15/ton delivered locally (£10 if you can collect!)
Cloche.
:-) First place I looked! My local BM doesn't actually have a web site!
Fork andles?
Depth, depends in part on what you might want to plant in it. Annual flowers, or undemanding veg a foot would be ok ) guess. but deeper would be better. Also aesthetic etc. considerations. If it's on a patio area being high enough (and with a wide enough top) to sit on can be nice.
For working the bed, about 2 feet wide if access only from one side, 4 feet if from both sides.
could be useful. Tho not that many veg needing horizontal strings for support. But there is also things like being able to cover with netting to keep birds or butterflies off things etc.
cold frame
I run at 9-12"
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doest have to be topsoil. You may (and w did) bulk it out with gravel to get a bit of drainage. And then standard garden diggings on that, and topsoil on top.
that is disgraceful
I think I paid about 30.
That would still involve bending over or kneeling though?
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