I need to make a raised bed in the garden, just three sides as one side will
be against the concrete fence.

My wife wants the sleepers to be stood on their small side so that the
sleepers will be 8 inches high. They are 8 foot long, by 4 inches front to
back and 8 inches high. She wasn't two of these tall. So in effect the
sleepers will be 16 inches tall. Now, I can get long enough screws to go
into these, the bolt kind from Screwfix, but they will only penetrate the
bottom sleeper by 5 cm. Is it OK to Grip fill the sleepers together or
should I allow them movement. It will be retaining shrubs and perhaps a tree
at some point, albeit small at first. It is just if I sink, perhaps, 6 bolts
into each sleeper straight through the top one 8 inches and then 5 cm to the
bottom one I don't want movement and wondered if spreading GF along the
length will help to keep the two sleepers together.

Also is it OK to bed the sleepers (bottom one) on some concrete so it
doesn't move. i.e., dig a trough all the 3 sides, fill with concrete and
sink then in perhaps 2 inches deep to give them a good base.? Or is there a
better way?

I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new sleepers. The
local wood man wanted £1000 to put them together, 24 foot across by the two
ends 4 foot, 2 high. I think this is a lot for a few hours work.

I am a complete novice so if there is another way Laymans terms please

Ben Short wrote:
I need to make a raised bed in the garden, just three sides as one side
will be against the concrete fence.

My wife wants the sleepers to be stood on their small side so that the
sleepers will be 8 inches high. They are 8 foot long, by 4 inches front
to back and 8 inches high. She wasn't two of these tall.


Holy cow.

Why did you marry her?

She must be no bigger than your dick!

So in effect
the sleepers will be 16 inches tall. Now, I can get long enough screws
to go into these, the bolt kind from Screwfix, but they will only
penetrate the bottom sleeper by 5 cm. Is it OK to Grip fill the sleepers
together or should I allow them movement. It will be retaining shrubs
and perhaps a tree at some point, albeit small at first. It is just if I
sink, perhaps, 6 bolts into each sleeper straight through the top one 8
inches and then 5 cm to the bottom one I don't want movement and
wondered if spreading GF along the length will help to keep the two
sleepers together.

Why do you care if the sleepers are together?



Also is it OK to bed the sleepers (bottom one) on some concrete so it
doesn't move. i.e., dig a trough all the 3 sides, fill with concrete and
sink then in perhaps 2 inches deep to give them a good base.? Or is
there a better way?

I think you are insane.


I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new sleepers.

I KNOW you are insane.

The local wood man wanted £1000 to put them together, 24 foot across by
the two ends 4 foot, 2 high. I think this is a lot for a few hours work.


Nom he saw you coming.

I am a complete novice

Thats a kind way to put it, yes.

so if there is another way Laymans terms please

Pile em up. nail em roughly together and fill with earth, and then get a
bigger wife.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:38:57 +0100, Ben Short wrote:
I need to make a raised bed in the garden, just three sides as one side will
be against the concrete fence.

My wife wants the sleepers to be stood on their small side so that the
sleepers will be 8 inches high. They are 8 foot long, by 4 inches front to
back and 8 inches high. She wasn't two of these tall. So in effect the
sleepers will be 16 inches tall. Now, I can get long enough screws to go
into these, the bolt kind from Screwfix, but they will only penetrate the
bottom sleeper by 5 cm.

I'd think about using steel threaded rod. You can get it in lengths up
to a metre, or more. Might have to use stainless for it's corrosion
resistance. Use nuts at each end, sunk into the sleepers by a few cm.
Then as a nice touch, if you can geta plug cutter large enough, make
some plugs from the same sleepers to fill the holes.

Is it OK to Grip fill the sleepers together or
should I allow them movement. It will be retaining shrubs and perhaps a tree
at some point, albeit small at first. It is just if I sink, perhaps, 6 bolts
into each sleeper straight through the top one 8 inches and then 5 cm to the
bottom one I don't want movement and wondered if spreading GF along the
length will help to keep the two sleepers together.

Also is it OK to bed the sleepers (bottom one) on some concrete so it
doesn't move. i.e., dig a trough all the 3 sides, fill with concrete and
sink then in perhaps 2 inches deep to give them a good base.? Or is there a
better way?

I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new sleepers. The
local wood man wanted £1000 to put them together, 24 foot across by the two
ends 4 fo ot, 2 high. I think this is a lot for a few hours work.

It sounds like the high quote was to put you off as he didn't want the
bother of the work. I expect he'd have sub-contracted it out for a couple
of hundred quid, anyway.

I am a complete novice so if there is another way Laymans terms please

pete wrote:

Might have to use stainless for it's corrosion
resistance.

Stainless isn't corrosion resistant when it is in damp wood. Stainless
suffers from crevice corrosion in these conditions and will have a
shorter lifetime than hot-dipped galvanised.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:23:07 +0100, (Steve Firth)
wrote:

Stainless isn't corrosion resistant when it is in damp wood. Stainless
suffers from crevice corrosion in these conditions and will have a
shorter lifetime than hot-dipped galvanised.

A2/304 is the most common stainless steel used for studs and the sort
used by

Screwfix sell both A2/304 and A4/316L stainless steel rod in 1m
lengths at various diameters.

Either will last quite well in damp wood in the sort of application
described where chloride concentrations will be fairly low. 316L/A4
is better in aggressive environments but is more expensive.

See

http://www.bssa.org.uk/cms/File/SSAS...0F ixings.pdf

and

http://www.sgb-co.com/standard/sgb_s...1715548415.PDF

Coating the stud thoroughly in Castrol Heavy grease or asphalt based
roofing tar before use should ensure a useful life of over 10 years..

If in doubt you can ask the Stainless Steel Advisory Service on 0114
2671265

Ben Short wrote:

Is it OK to Grip fill the sleepers together

Gripfill won't work if they are real sleepers. The preservative makes
the sleepers greasy and Gripfill doesn't work with greasy wood. If OTOH
they are simply large baulks of timber being passed off as sleepers it
make work, sort of. But not really.

I'm surprised that you have found 10 inch long (25cm) screws for sale at
Screwfix. I can't see any in the catalogue. I'd suggest that if the
wall you are building is supposed to hold back soil (for example) then
50mm penetration depth may be insufficient. You're also going to have
fun boring all of the clearance and pilot holes.

For a job like this I would use 12 inch galvanised spikes rather than
screws and it will still require the drilling of pilot holes about 10
inches deep (all the way through the top sleeper and 2 inches into the
lower sleeper).

These are the sort of things that I would use:

http://www.hardwareandtools.com/LBM-...e-6888697.html

However I also think you are going about this the wrong way. The usual
way is to lay the sleepers with the 4 inch section vertical and to use
twice as many sleepers[1]. I'd still secure them with spikes rather than
with screws.



[1] Tell the wife she doesn't know what she's talking about.

"Steve Firth" wrote in message
...
Ben Short wrote:

Is it OK to Grip fill the sleepers together

Gripfill won't work if they are real sleepers. The preservative makes
the sleepers greasy and Gripfill doesn't work with greasy wood. If OTOH
they are simply large baulks of timber being passed off as sleepers it
make work, sort of. But not really.

I'm surprised that you have found 10 inch long (25cm) screws for sale at
Screwfix. I can't see any in the catalogue. I'd suggest that if the
wall you are building is supposed to hold back soil (for example) then
50mm penetration depth may be insufficient. You're also going to have
fun boring all of the clearance and pilot holes.

For a job like this I would use 12 inch galvanised spikes rather than
screws and it will still require the drilling of pilot holes about 10
inches deep (all the way through the top sleeper and 2 inches into the
lower sleeper).

These are the sort of things that I would use:

http://www.hardwareandtools.com/LBM-...e-6888697.html

However I also think you are going about this the wrong way. The usual
way is to lay the sleepers with the 4 inch section vertical and to use
twice as many sleepers[1]. I'd still secure them with spikes rather than
with screws.

The guys that made a smallish retainer for the very steep slope in our back
garden, concreted the sleepers in palisade style, end on. They haven't
moved in some 8years so far...

S

In message , Spamlet
writes

"Steve Firth" wrote in message
.. .
Ben Short wrote:

Is it OK to Grip fill the sleepers together

Gripfill won't work if they are real sleepers. The preservative makes
the sleepers greasy and Gripfill doesn't work with greasy wood. If OTOH
they are simply large baulks of timber being passed off as sleepers it
make work, sort of. But not really.

I'm surprised that you have found 10 inch long (25cm) screws for sale at
Screwfix. I can't see any in the catalogue. I'd suggest that if the
wall you are building is supposed to hold back soil (for example) then
50mm penetration depth may be insufficient. You're also going to have
fun boring all of the clearance and pilot holes.

For a job like this I would use 12 inch galvanised spikes rather than
screws and it will still require the drilling of pilot holes about 10
inches deep (all the way through the top sleeper and 2 inches into the
lower sleeper).

These are the sort of things that I would use:


http://www.hardwareandtools.com/LBM-...0-Pounds-12-In
ch-Galvanized-Spiral-Spike-6888697.html

However I also think you are going about this the wrong way. The usual
way is to lay the sleepers with the 4 inch section vertical and to use
twice as many sleepers[1]. I'd still secure them with spikes rather than
with screws.

The guys that made a smallish retainer for the very steep slope in our back
garden, concreted the sleepers in palisade style, end on.


They haven't
moved in some 8years so far...

Are you sure they're not british rail employees ?

--
geoff

Ben Short wrote:

snip rail sleepers 2 high.

Also is it OK to bed the sleepers (bottom one) on some concrete so it
doesn't move. i.e., dig a trough all the 3 sides, fill with concrete and
sink then in perhaps 2 inches deep to give them a good base.? Or is there a
better way?

Preferably, do not sink them in concrete. Leave a small gap under them
that can be filled with gravel. The bottom will not be constantly wet
then.
Steel spikes are the thing to use to keep them in line. Drill through
one, then sit it on the other, then hammer a bloody big nail through it
into the bottom one. You wont get nails that long, so buy a length of
steel bar and cut to an appropriate length. I'd suggest 4 inches into
the bottom piece.
You will need a long wood drill bit, at least the 9 inches I'd say, and
preferably a mains drill to get through the wood.
Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:00:23 +0100, A.Lee wrote:

You will need a long wood drill bit, at least the 9 inches I'd say, and
preferably a mains drill to get through the wood.

A brace and (auger) bit would have no trouble drilling through, the
biggest might be finding a bit that long, though thinking about it
the ones I have are about 12" overall and only a couple of inches
goes into the chuck of the brace.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Ben Short wrote:
I need to make a raised bed in the garden, just three sides as one side
will be against the concrete fence.

My wife wants the sleepers to be stood on their small side so that the
sleepers will be 8 inches high. They are 8 foot long, by 4 inches front
to back and 8 inches high. She wasn't two of these tall. So in effect
the sleepers will be 16 inches tall. Now, I can get long enough screws
to go into these, the bolt kind from Screwfix, but they will only
penetrate the bottom sleeper by 5 cm. Is it OK to Grip fill the sleepers
together or should I allow them movement. It will be retaining shrubs
and perhaps a tree at some point, albeit small at first. It is just if I
sink, perhaps, 6 bolts into each sleeper straight through the top one 8
inches and then 5 cm to the bottom one I don't want movement and
wondered if spreading GF along the length will help to keep the two
sleepers together.

Also is it OK to bed the sleepers (bottom one) on some concrete so it
doesn't move. i.e., dig a trough all the 3 sides, fill with concrete and
sink then in perhaps 2 inches deep to give them a good base.? Or is
there a better way?

I would get some 4" x 2" or 6" x 2" treated timbers. Cut those to the
height you want the sleepes, plus about 400mm and sink them vertically
into the ground, in gravel filled holes. If you don't want to see the
tops of the posts, sink them in deep enough to be covered by soil when
the bed is made. Put more gravel down where the sleeprs are to go, say
about 3cm deep. Then use galvanised coach screws through the uprights
into the back of the sleepers.

Colin Bignell

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:38:57 +0100, Ben Short wrote:

I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new sleepers.

Are these new plain timber or new treated real sleepers? Plain timber
won't last long incontact with the ground. Properly treated sleepers
will out last you but will ooze all manner of sticky dark treatment
that srains anything it comes into contact with. Probably not what
the wife would appreciate... They need treating and treating well.

The local wood man wanted £1000 to put them together, 24 foot across by
the two ends 4 foot, 2 high. I think this is a lot for a few hours work.

Have you tried shifting one yet? If they aren't a two man lift you
don't have real sleepers. B-) So you are looking at 2 blokes wages
for a day plus presumably materials (other than the sleepers). Did
you specify to him the concrete bed etc, that would be another days
work for two blokes to dig, a lay. 4 man days will make £600 of
labour charge without too much bother...

Because of their weight I'd not be too bothered about 'em moving.
Probably bore 3/4" clearance holes 18" to 2' from each end and drive
some 2'6" to 3' lenghts of 3/4" rebar through and into the ground.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 2010-06-30 08:01:58 +0100, Dave Liquorice said:

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:38:57 +0100, Ben Short wrote:

I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new sleepers.

Are these new plain timber or new treated real sleepers? Plain timber
won't last long incontact with the ground.

Untreated soft-wood yes. Untreated hard-woods e.g. oak should last
much longer - European oak 25 years.

Piers Finlayson wrote:
On 2010-06-30 08:01:58 +0100, Dave Liquorice said:

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:38:57 +0100, Ben Short wrote:

I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new sleepers.

Are these new plain timber or new treated real sleepers? Plain timber
won't last long incontact with the ground.

Untreated soft-wood yes. Untreated hard-woods e.g. oak should last much
longer - European oak 25 years.

No. Oak may be better but you are looking a year or two at best IN
CONTACT WITH THE GROUND.

fungal attack will start almost immediately.


Oak lasts well if it gets a chance to fully dry out, at which point any
fungal growth stops. You can get hundreds of years like that. But once
its almost permanently damp, its not better than any other hardwood really.

Raised beds need pressure treating, period, or accept that they will
slowly rot from the inside..and the base. That's not an argument against
them, just a note that over 5-10 year they may collapse.

If u want permanence, make them out of concrete blocks, and strap the
wood to the outside for rustic effect ;-)

On 2010-06-30 13:32:12 +0100, The Natural Philosopher said:

Piers Finlayson wrote:
On 2010-06-30 08:01:58 +0100, Dave Liquorice said:

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:38:57 +0100, Ben Short wrote:

I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new sleepers.

Are these new plain timber or new treated real sleepers? Plain timber
won't last long incontact with the ground.

Untreated soft-wood yes. Untreated hard-woods e.g. oak should last
much longer - European oak 25 years.

No. Oak may be better but you are looking a year or two at best IN
CONTACT WITH THE GROUND.

fungal attack will start almost immediately.


Oak lasts well if it gets a chance to fully dry out, at which point any
fungal growth stops. You can get hundreds of years like that. But once
its almost permanently damp, its not better than any other hardwood
really.

That's not what this post says, although access to BRE Digest 429 is
password protected:

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk....c4fc9db6?hl=en

"Ben Short" wrote in message
...
I need to make a raised bed in the garden, just three sides as one side
will be against the concrete fence.

My wife wants the sleepers to be stood on their small side so that the
sleepers will be 8 inches high. They are 8 foot long, by 4 inches front to
back and 8 inches high. She wasn't two of these tall. So in effect the
sleepers will be 16 inches tall. Now, I can get long enough screws to go
into these, the bolt kind from Screwfix, but they will only penetrate the
bottom sleeper by 5 cm. Is it OK to Grip fill the sleepers together or
should I allow them movement.

You counter bore the hole so the screws/bolts go in more and hence protrude
more at the bottom.
To do this start with a larger flat bit in a power drill, when deep enough
switch to a smaller one a bit bigger than the screw/bolt and go though. It
also hides the screw/bolt.

You should be able to just put them on some gravel and maybe knock in a
couple of stakes made from rebar to hold them there while you fill it. The
stakes may well be enough to hold the whole thing together if you drill
through both pieces and hammer in the rebar.

PS what is the wood and is it treated to stop rot?

On Jun 30, 12:38 pm, "Ben Short" wrote:

My wife wants the sleepers to be stood on their small side so that the
sleepers will be 8 inches high. They are 8 foot long, by 4 inches front to
back and 8 inches high. She wasn't two of these tall. So in effect the
sleepers will be 16 inches tall.

I'm a cheapsake so I would stack the sleepers so the corners overlap,
and drill a hole down and hammer 16 inches of reinforcing steel in the
hole. A bigger bodge that will probably work for many years is to
drill diagonal holes and put 4 inch nails in them.
If they are not real hardwood sleepers then you don't even need to
drill the holes.
16 inches is not a great height to hold in soil.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:40:06 -0700, Matty F wrote:
I'm a cheapsake so I would stack the sleepers so the corners overlap,
and drill a hole down and hammer 16 inches of reinforcing steel in the
hole.

Me too. Drill, then hammer some 1/2" rebar* through and into the ground.
For 16" height I'd go for a mixture of vertical and diagonal I think.
Sit the sleepers on a bit of gravel for drainage (and, given the height,
toss some behind, too). I reckon it'll last for a few decades if the
sleepers are treated - long enough that by then you might want to replace
it with something else entirely anyway, and if not it's not a huge
expense to just re-do it the same way.

* I can't remember if that term's used in the UK or if it gets called
something else there?

cheers

Jules

Ben Short
wibbled on Wednesday 30 June 2010 01:38

I need to make a raised bed in the garden, just three sides as one side
will be against the concrete fence.

My wife wants the sleepers to be stood on their small side so that the
sleepers will be 8 inches high. They are 8 foot long, by 4 inches front to
back and 8 inches high. She wasn't two of these tall. So in effect the
sleepers will be 16 inches tall. Now, I can get long enough screws to go
into these, the bolt kind from Screwfix, but they will only penetrate the
bottom sleeper by 5 cm. Is it OK to Grip fill the sleepers together or
should I allow them movement. It will be retaining shrubs and perhaps a
tree at some point, albeit small at first. It is just if I sink, perhaps,
6 bolts into each sleeper straight through the top one 8 inches and then 5
cm to the bottom one I don't want movement and wondered if spreading GF
along the length will help to keep the two sleepers together.

Also is it OK to bed the sleepers (bottom one) on some concrete so it
doesn't move. i.e., dig a trough all the 3 sides, fill with concrete and
sink then in perhaps 2 inches deep to give them a good base.? Or is there
a better way?

I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new sleepers.
The local wood man wanted £1000 to put them together, 24 foot across by
the two ends 4 foot, 2 high. I think this is a lot for a few hours work.

I am a complete novice so if there is another way Laymans terms please

Timberlock screws are a modern solution:

http://www.railwaysleeper.com/Timber...ast eners.htm

A mate used them (or a clone product - looked just like those) and they were
very easy to work with.

HTH

Tim

--
Tim Watts

Managers, politicians and environmentalists: Nature's carbon buffer.

On 2010-06-30 01:38:57 +0100, Ben Short said:

I need to make a raised bed in the garden, just three sides as one side
will be against the concrete fence.

My wife wants the sleepers to be stood on their small side so that the
sleepers will be 8 inches high. They are 8 foot long, by 4 inches front
to back and 8 inches high. She wasn't two of these tall. So in effect
the sleepers will be 16 inches tall. Now, I can get long enough screws
to go into these, the bolt kind from Screwfix, but they will only
penetrate the bottom sleeper by 5 cm. Is it OK to Grip fill the
sleepers together or should I allow them movement. It will be retaining
shrubs and perhaps a tree at some point, albeit small at first. It is
just if I sink, perhaps, 6 bolts into each sleeper straight through the
top one 8 inches and then 5 cm to the bottom one I don't want movement
and wondered if spreading GF along the length will help to keep the two
sleepers together.

Also is it OK to bed the sleepers (bottom one) on some concrete so it
doesn't move. i.e., dig a trough all the 3 sides, fill with concrete
and sink then in perhaps 2 inches deep to give them a good base.? Or is
there a better way?

I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new sleepers.
The local wood man wanted £1000 to put them together, 24 foot across by
the two ends 4 foot, 2 high. I think this is a lot for a few hours work.

I am a complete novice so if there is another way Laymans terms please

When I get around to building some raised beds, I plan to use 2"x6"
treated boards - I see no point in using more expensive sleepers. As
I'm building them on a slope and want a level finish, I'll need to
stack on one side. To achieve this I plan to use fencing stakes
knocked in at the corners to fix to. I'll probably also do this in the
middle so I have beds longer than the boards.

Seems like the lowest tech, easiest and possibly even the cheapest
solution. It also will allow me to wrap netting around the posts
should I need to - e.g. to keep rabbits out.

Piers Finlayson wrote:
On 2010-06-30 01:38:57 +0100, Ben Short said:

I need to make a raised bed in the garden, just three sides as one
side will be against the concrete fence.

My wife wants the sleepers to be stood on their small side so that the
sleepers will be 8 inches high. They are 8 foot long, by 4 inches
front to back and 8 inches high. She wasn't two of these tall. So in
effect the sleepers will be 16 inches tall. Now, I can get long enough
screws to go into these, the bolt kind from Screwfix, but they will
only penetrate the bottom sleeper by 5 cm. Is it OK to Grip fill the
sleepers together or should I allow them movement. It will be
retaining shrubs and perhaps a tree at some point, albeit small at
first. It is just if I sink, perhaps, 6 bolts into each sleeper
straight through the top one 8 inches and then 5 cm to the bottom one
I don't want movement and wondered if spreading GF along the length
will help to keep the two sleepers together.

Also is it OK to bed the sleepers (bottom one) on some concrete so it
doesn't move. i.e., dig a trough all the 3 sides, fill with concrete
and sink then in perhaps 2 inches deep to give them a good base.? Or
is there a better way?

I bought the sleepers Cost £210 delivered for 10 x 8 foot new
sleepers. The local wood man wanted £1000 to put them together, 24
foot across by the two ends 4 foot, 2 high. I think this is a lot for
a few hours work.

I am a complete novice so if there is another way Laymans terms please

When I get around to building some raised beds, I plan to use 2"x6"
treated boards - I see no point in using more expensive sleepers. As
I'm building them on a slope and want a level finish, I'll need to stack
on one side. To achieve this I plan to use fencing stakes knocked in at
the corners to fix to. I'll probably also do this in the middle so I
have beds longer than the boards.

Seems like the lowest tech, easiest and possibly even the cheapest
solution. It also will allow me to wrap netting around the posts should
I need to - e.g. to keep rabbits out.


What we did here was use pressure treated 4x4 for corners and center
supports and pressure treated split rail fencing stock for the edges.

It looks great, and although I don't anticipate a great lifetime - 5-8
years probably - that's OK as well, since these are vegetable beds
largely, and that part of the garden is always on the move anyway.

If they rot, so be it!

On Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:35:25 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
What we did here was use pressure treated 4x4 for corners and center
supports and pressure treated split rail fencing stock for the edges.

It looks great, and although I don't anticipate a great lifetime - 5-8
years probably

Most of the pressure-treated stuff sold here these days seems to come
with a replacement warranty against premature failure (anticipated
lifespan depending on rating for in-air, ground-contact or below-ground;
30 years seems typical for in-air stuff)

When I get around to building some raised beds, I plan to use 2"x6"
treated boards - I see no point in using more expensive sleepers. As
I'm building them on a slope and want a level finish, I'll need to
stack on one side. To achieve this I plan to use fencing stakes
knocked in at the corners to fix to. I'll probably also do this in the
middle so I have beds longer than the boards.

Seems like the lowest tech, easiest and possibly even the cheapest
solution. It also will allow me to wrap netting around the posts
should I need to - e.g. to keep rabbits out.


What we did here was use pressure treated 4x4 for corners and center
supports and pressure treated split rail fencing stock for the edges.

Hadn't thought of split rail fencing. Sadly the stuff I have is mostly
pretty warped, so it would be hard to stack on top of itself.

Piers Finlayson wrote:


When I get around to building some raised beds, I plan to use 2"x6"
treated boards - I see no point in using more expensive sleepers. As
I'm building them on a slope and want a level finish, I'll need to
stack on one side. To achieve this I plan to use fencing stakes
knocked in at the corners to fix to. I'll probably also do this in
the middle so I have beds longer than the boards.

Seems like the lowest tech, easiest and possibly even the cheapest
solution. It also will allow me to wrap netting around the posts
should I need to - e.g. to keep rabbits out.


What we did here was use pressure treated 4x4 for corners and center
supports and pressure treated split rail fencing stock for the edges.

Hadn't thought of split rail fencing. Sadly the stuff I have is mostly
pretty warped, so it would be hard to stack on top of itself.

Doesn't matter. The soil still stays in even with fairly large gaps.

Or you can line with poly sheet tacked on..


I select bits that just about fit: The final result is 'rustic' (rough
and ready :-)) but She likes it that way.