Wood for Raised Garden Beds, Mid-Ulster

jbt1000

Hi everyone,
I'm trying to set up 4 raised beds in my garden for next years veg ... ideally each one to measure approx 4 ft x 10 ft. The prices I'm getting for the wood for this range upwards from £120 (for 6 lengths of 15 ft x 9"x2") - not what I was expecting!
Anyone know of a supplier in Mid-Ulster or Antrim / Ballymena areas who will be reasonable for this - or any other ideas of materials to use that look okay?
Thanks for any advice!

Belfastbelle

New Sleepers go for about £20 each. I think they are 8ft long
(not sure how wide -8 inchs perhaps - but a timber merchant could split each one lengthwise)

Would be quite rustic :T

Golden_Anemone

I bought 6" fencing boards for my raised beds and they were nothing like what you have been quoted. That said, 9" is bound to be more expensive as it's wider.

I find 6" boards fixed to 2" square posts in corners and centre of long boards perfectly adequate and think it's fairly standard. Is there a reason why you need 9"?

Sleepers would be overkill in my view - they are thicker so take up too much space and are way too expensive.

jbt1000

Good idea re. splitting them lengthways, Belfastbelle. Thanks.

Golden Anemone - it's my first time with the raised beds and my (probably limited) research recommends 12" deep, so I thought I was compromising by doing 9". To be fair the local timber merchant did suggest the 6" fencing panel idea too, it obviously works out a lot cheaper. Do you find it gives beds deep enough for carrots / potatoes etc. Thanks again.

Wee_Bargain_Hunter

I've been looking at this site - they're in the South but deliver up here. A kit costs between 19.50-99 euros. Sounds a bit cheaper than what you've been quoted.

On a related topic, I was looking at these guys as I want to get a higher version of a raised bed for older people & they sell some. I just want to check though if something similar can be got cheaper closer to home? Has anyone seen anything like this or this ? Thanks

Golden_Anemone

jbt1000 wrote: »

Good idea re. splitting them lengthways, Belfastbelle. Thanks.

Golden Anemone - it's my first time with the raised beds and my (probably limited) research recommends 12" deep, so I thought I was compromising by doing 9". To be fair the local timber merchant did suggest the 6" fencing panel idea too, it obviously works out a lot cheaper. Do you find it gives beds deep enough for carrots / potatoes etc. Thanks again.

If your beds are on existing soil you have depth in that as well as the bit above ground too jbt. I made my beds on an area that had been lawn - stripped off the turf and put the surrounds on then double dug the beds. I've only added compost on top - no top soil. I have fabulous potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, turnips as well as peas, beans, courgettes. Only thing I find impossible are brassicas and that's because of blidding catterpillers, not my soil.

If you don't have any soil underneath your raised beds then you might need higher walls.

Very few timber merchants will touch old sleepers because of the number of nails they are likely to hold. Also old sleepers are likely to be creosote coated and that's not recommended near food crops. Be careful if you decide to go with these - buy new ones.