Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Decking board planter help

Rebecca_smithsonRebecca_smithson Posts: 6
in Fruit & veg
I am looking at building some planters for fruit and vegetables using decking boards (something like this: https://www.screwfix.com/p/forest-patio-decking-28mm-x-2-4m-x-0-12m-10-pack/8004k). 

Do the boards need to be treated/sealed - especially if they are going to be cut?

How long will they last (approximately)?

Will a depth of 12 inches be enough to plant fruit and vegetables? 

Thanks in advance!

Posts

  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    The link doesn’t work. But I think I know the sort of thing you mean. You need to get pressure treated decking boards. They will last for under ten years. With twelve inches you could manage a few small things like lettuces and strawberries, and if they are wide but shallow you may manage tomatoes, well watered. With anything else from beans or potatoes to carrots or currants, you’d need a much bigger container.
  • SkylarksSkylarks Posts: 379
    edited April 2021
    Is this what you mean and are you thinking of making the planters 1 board deep? If so, do you mean cm and not inches? 

    Personally, I would paint them and line with compost bags or pond liner.


  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    How thick are the boards? If they are say 9-12mm, they will tend to warp over the length, even with vertical battens at intervals, so of you can, go thicker ones. It does depend on your soil depth and if you have dug it over and improved it first, assuming the beds will be open to the ground underneath. If they are just 12”, say of they are laid on a patio, that is more limiting as cambridgerose says.

    The 15mm thick, treated decking boards I have used for my raised beds (open to the ground) are holding up pretty well after 5 years, but whether they will last another 5 remains to be seen!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Captain_ChaosCaptain_Chaos Posts: 60
    I've been looking for materials to make a raised bed for veg.  Have you considered the recycled plastic 'boards'? They are more expensive but supposedly last years longer.
    Growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.
Sign In or Register to comment.