Wood for raised beds

Hello everyone,
Recently bought our first house and currently in the process of developing the garden. We wanted to build some raised beds out of wood and although I tried to have a look around, I am still not sure about the most appropriate thickness of the wood that I need to use. Initially I considered using a 2" x 6" plank, then a friend suggested it may be too thick (and hence a bit more expensive), then I saw some people saying that thinner wood may give way to the weight of the soil inside the border. Anybody has done this and can share their experience please? Any thoughts? Many thanks!!!!

 

Scaffolding boards maybe?, if you can get them. They dispose of them when the get split etc. as no longer safe, and if you are lucky you might pick them up for a song.

Personally I avoid Tanalised wood for that job. The chemicals used are deemed safe (they are in wood used to build houses ...) but my view is that the tests were for normally-dry-usage, and not submerged-in-damp-soil nor for transmission-to-veg growing nearby. Might just be me being paranoid though ...

I have damp proof membrane separating my boards from the soil, to prolong wood-life, but I'm uncomfortable with whether that too poses a risk (breakdown chemicals leaching into soil which subsequently transmit to Veg)

I'm planning to build brick edges to my raised beds ... hopefully more inert. Paving slabs, no edge, might eb a solution if the raised height isn't more than a few inches.

Wooden boards are going to rot, so I recommend building the beds on the basis that will happen and how you will patch-up-and-mend for a bit and then replace without requiring motorway-style earth moving equipment!

Yes, you need reasonable thickness. An inch at least. I have vertical stakes on inside which go quite deep into soil, jsut put them closer together if it seems that your boards will bow-out.

Personally I wouldn't use Railway Sleepers - they take up a staggering amount of space ... but they certainly are strong enough to retain the soil, and handy to sit on whilst plot-pondering

Pallet Collars maybe? Some pallet wood has unsavoury chemicals in it though ...

 

Hi,

You do not mention the height of the raised bed as that affects the size of timber needed.

If its 2-3 ft high for someone in a wheelchair you are looking at some serious work.

On the other hand, do you need a rasied bed or are you just following fashion ?

You can readily improve existing soil just by adding a few inches of compost etc a few times each year which will build up most soil.

Perhaps just using something simple like a log roll /bamboo/ stone etc as an edging strip to define the area rather than big raised beds ?

 

Hi, the ground of our garden slopes slightly (away from the house) and I was thinking that the use of borders would make our vegetable garden a bit tidier and easier to access (not too much bending over). As you stand in the house and look out into the garden, the borders will be along the fence on the left hand side.

Initially I was planning to put a single plank about 150 to 200 in width (height) with the option of doubling that later on. I was going to do one or two borders and have a look, then decide. I see there is an option below to upload a photo so maybe I can do this later today when I get back home.

 

+1

I think:

Tall raised beds essential for wheelchair users, and helpful for folk that have trouble bending etc,

Tall raised beds need a LOT of material to fill them, and if buying it in that will be expensive.

Other than that a few inches (6" at the most) is fine (unless you want to grow 4' long Parsnips to win the Harrogate Show - Massive Veg competition!).

An edge is not required, just dig out the paths a bit, to lower them, and pile that on the beds, to raise them a bit. So called "lazy raised beds". Topping up with compost etc. too is good, but not essential.

Downside is that the very edge, or the sloping edge of the beds, is not really very usable for planting, and over time erodes into the paths. So the edges need "remaking" every couple of years ...

Cheap though!

Timber/etc. edges is smarter, stop the edges collapsing, and provides a bit more planting area.

 

Yes, a picture paints a thousand words.

Set your camera to Small/Email size so the image is easier to upload, normally a simple process.

 

Probably right to be wary of tanalised timber. It contains Chromium, Copper and Arsenic which are supposed to be chemically bound to the wood. Any contamination would probably not spread far from the wood.
However burning it is not a good idea as the ash would contain metal compounds that might be soluble and in a laboratory setting these would be disposed of as toxic waste.

 

The notion of raised beds is hardly a new one. I remember my Dad (God rest his soul) was a great believer of banking-up his veg patch, always quoting “drainage”. Most folks don’t have the luxury of large gardens, with separate veg patches, so being aesthetically pleasing is an important consideration. And let’s not downplay the results that can be achieved. This one came in at over 5LB