The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Gardens => Topic started by: mojocafa on February 15, 2016, 07:27:26 am

Title: Raised beds
Post by: mojocafa on February 15, 2016, 07:27:26 am

Anyone any tips on what I can use to make raised beds

Title: Re: Raised beds
Post by: HappyHippy on February 15, 2016, 07:43:58 am

I made some a couple of years ago using scaffold boards (too skint to afford railway sleepers  ;)) Mine are 2 high, giving an overall height of approx 16" and holding up well.
HTH

Title: Re: Raised beds
Post by: DavidandCollette on February 15, 2016, 08:58:13 am

Try freecycle it's amazing what people want to get rid of

Title: Re: Raised beds
Post by: Q on February 15, 2016, 09:40:22 am

I am a scavenger so when I passed a building project where they were putting a extension up I asked the site manager if I could take away the old rafters he was piling up from the old building.
Got Loads of 4 metre lengths of untreated rafters of about 250 x 100  size & saved them from a bonfire.

Title: Re: Raised beds
Post by: Carse Goodlifers on February 16, 2016, 03:58:31 pm

I went to our local saw mill and bought 4m long planks along with 3ft pegs/stakes for the corner supports.
All the wood all came treated and once built before filling them up I lined them with high gauge black plastic.
It was a lot cheaper than going to B&Q and the likes, it supported a local business and for me it was quicker than having to scavenge/look about etc. 

Title: Re: Raised beds
Post by: cloddopper on February 19, 2016, 09:18:24 pm

We used mortared in red engineering bricks .. it's worked very well for me.  They are 900 mm high on the high outer sides which is ideal for me and a bust up back etc.

 T'was fairly expensive , but should last me out by many years , It's part of the whole garden landscape exercise .. Done by a dam good builder who really enjoyed doing something different & interesting .
 Due to each wall being laid on a foot thick x a foot wide concrete foundations , in the middle of each bed  there is a natural drainage hole .  I also got the builder to put weep holes in the outside walls at every mid point of the beds lowest course of h bricks .

All the divider walling is keyed in brick work which adds to the strength tremendously .
 They are filled with a home made soil less growth medium which is the best stuff for growing plants I've ever come across .


(http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b597/splodgit/825d5a72-bd37-4f33-9f85-77b168c31586_zpsalo9x8zi.jpg) (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/splodgit/media/825d5a72-bd37-4f33-9f85-77b168c31586_zpsalo9x8zi.jpg.html)

(http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b597/splodgit/IMG_5340_zpsabc77735.jpg) (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/splodgit/media/IMG_5340_zpsabc77735.jpg.html)

(http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b597/splodgit/IMG_5338_zpsf55d24f1.jpg) (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/splodgit/media/IMG_5338_zpsf55d24f1.jpg.html)


 

Title: Re: Raised beds
Post by: mojocafa on February 19, 2016, 09:30:23 pm

I have got wooden structures that can make a box, am delighted with them, and I got them for free so even better. Will post photos when I get organised.  :excited: