What kind of wood for raised beds

BertieUK

alleycat` wrote: »

Best bet is old scaffold board, try asking a scaffolding firm if they have any that are a bit past their prime?

Three years ago when we moved into our present property I built all of my raised borders from scaffold board which were as alleycat quoted 'past their prime' each board cost around £2 for the standard size which did the job that was required.

I even ran the boards through my table saw to make posts to erect a garden netted frame for fruit bushes.

Regards
Bob

Avoriaz

theGrinch wrote: »

there is no soil

What is there?

Can you dig a trench and fill that with soil or is it concrete or rock or something too hard?

leveller2911

mervyn11 wrote: »

Tanalised timber will last upwards of 25 years even in contact with the soil.

Don't believe the hype....... The problem with tanalised timber is unless you buy the exact length/width you want you will need to cut it and as soon as you do that you void all of the protection.

Look at the cut end of the timber and you will see the tanalith has only penetrated the surface of the timber by a few milimetres which doesn't stop the middle rotting away.Years ago you could buy tanalith and treat all cut ends but they banned it.You can buy "endseal" which is not cheap and is not as good.Most people don't even think about the cut ends.

Better timbers include Western Red Cedar (good idea to line between soil and timber), Iroko (expensive) and green Oak but the problem is all the good timbers are not cheap.

If the OP wants a long term solution and doesn't want to be digging out the raised beds within 6-8 years then Tanalised timber is no good and any warranty you get when buying tanalised timber is void as soon as you cut the timber.

PS: I would also consider using railway sleepers and putting a fabric/membrane between the sleeper and soil..

T_T_2

alleycat` wrote: »

Sleepers are not suitable as the stuff they were treated in oil / tar will get in the soil and it may kill the plants.

Sleepers are successfully used up and down the country and work really well.

anotherbaldrick

I have built some raised beds using galvanised steel cattle troughs , they come in various sizes from the farm supplies shop , mine are 4` long x 20" width and depth, far less expensive than building them from wood and really heavy duty, will last a lifetime/.

MrsWenger

T_T wrote: »

Sleepers are successfully used up and down the country and work really well.

Absolutely agree. We have them as our soil is clay and we were given some good top soil to go in them. Everything grows really well and soil has not been contaminated. They have been in use 12 years.

You can also buy new ones but it would be an expensive project if a large area is to covered.

What about deck boards as an alternative. I used these to edge my paths with, again 12 years ago, and they are still ok.

CashisKing

http://www.grangewoodfencing.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1&Product_Code=SLEEPER03&Category_Code=SLEEPER_OAK

New sleepers ideally oak, can't beat it, but pricy

STOCKWIRE

leveller2911 wrote: »

Don't believe the hype....... The problem with tanalised timber is unless you buy the exact length/width you want you will need to cut it and as soon as you do that you void all of the protection.

Look at the cut end of the timber and you will see the tanalith has only penetrated the surface of the timber by a few milimetres which doesn't stop the middle rotting away.Years ago you could buy tanalith and treat all cut ends but they banned it.You can buy "endseal" which is not cheap and is not as good.Most people don't even think about the cut ends.

Better timbers include Western Red Cedar (good idea to line between soil and timber), Iroko (expensive) and green Oak but the problem is all the good timbers are not cheap.

If the OP wants a long term solution and doesn't want to be digging out the raised beds within 6-8 years then Tanalised timber is no good and any warranty you get when buying tanalised timber is void as soon as you cut the timber.

PS: I would also consider using railway sleepers and putting a fabric/membrane between the sleeper and soil..

Utter Bulls.... !

Tanalised timber will last for more than 25 years if it has been treated correctly. EnSele or end cut preservative, contains copper
and organic biocides which is very similar to tanalising solution and when applied to cuts and notches maintain the integrity of the treatment and any performance warranty offered by the supplier.
At approx £10.00 per litre it is hardly expensive.
As long as you use class 4 tanalised timber you will not have a problem.

27col

I know from experience that pressure spraying will get a sleeper surprisingly clean. Not perfect, but pretty good.