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Raised Bed Problem
aes
Posts: 8
Hello,
I am going to be building a couple of raised beds which I have been agonising over the design of; as I want them to be strong and look nice. I want the internal dimensions to be 3000mm x 1000mm x 500mm, although the depth could be 400mm. I am toying with making them out of Larch 'sleepers' varied lengths but 200mm wide by 100mm deep. My intention is to lay them broad side to the ground ontop of a gravel channel, fixing each 'sleeper' to the next with 150mm s/steel screws then the top sleeper bore down about 250mm at intervals and 'pin' the top down with hardwood 20mm dowels.
I feel this maybe overkill however the volume of soil within is almost 1.5m3.
Any recommendations/improvements are welcomed.
0
Posts
Sleepers are really heavy. Don't think you would have to do the dowel bit.
If you're using steel rods for connecting them, you can place them on their edge, and put the steel rods right through into the ground. You won't need so many sleeepers then, and it will give you more planting room as well as it will make the internal size bigger.
Dovefromabove, here on the forum, has done that in her garden. She might be able to offer further advice and some photos later
Last edited: 12 February 2017 07:29:59
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thats a good suggestion about pinning them on their narrow side. My intention was to make the corners like a brick wall, if that makes sense, each 'course' of sleepers overlapping the one below.
The timbers for our raised beds were also laid on edge i.e. narrow side to the ground. The were drilled through and metal reinforcing rods driven down about a foot into the ground. That will guarantee that there is no movement of the bed over time.
You can still do that aes - as KT53 describes
I've mentoned it to Dove and she'll try and get a pic on later to give you an idea.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Drat and double drat!!! I've just realised that the photos of the sleepers are on my laptop which is currently out of action awaiting attention from clever IT tech son in law - I'm sorry
But it sounds as if you've got the idea - we did it as KT53 describes, and the joints and corners were staggered like with a course of bricks, just as you say.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Is there any specific methods for determining the depth of beds? I'm not going to be growing 'deep' crops like potatoes as i have a different set up for them.