Garden sleepers against fence

mcwood

Hi, we have recently just completed our first garden lockdown diy. We have put sleepers up against our fence & filled it with plants. Unfortunately 🙈 we never put a barrier between the fence & the soil. Can anyone suggest anything that can be done without completely digging the whole plant bed out? 

Emmia

mcwood said:

Hi, we have recently just completed our first garden lockdown diy. We have put sleepers up against our fence & filled it with plants. Unfortunately 🙈 we never put a barrier between the fence & the soil. Can anyone suggest anything that can be done without completely digging the whole plant bed out? 

Unfortunately, I think to ensure you don't create issues with the fence, you will need to dig it out, put a barrier in, and then replant. trying to insert something now as a barrier is unlikely to be very effective. 

Justagardener

If you put sleepers up against the fence..why is the soil touching the fence? Did you just put the sleepers at right angles to the fence and one across the front?

Apodemus

Even if you had put a membrane between the soil and the fence, the base of the fence would always remain damp and be prone to rotting.  What is on the other side of the fence?

twopenny

Did you check your fence posts first? Just thinking that if you need one replaced, or the panel you may have problems.

If you dig out everything now it will likely die once the heat comes back. Perhaps enjoy it until October and then have a plan. Perhaps make a supersized raised planter without a base that sits just a few inches from the fence. leave the posts accessible and plant something without too strong a root in front of the post or insert a pot with a statement plant in front.

There's nothing like making a fence inaccessible for a hurricane to turn up.

mcwood

Thanks for your replies. We bought the sleepers to just go across the width of the fence, looks nice but if it’s going to cause future trouble🙈It’s a new fence with nothing behind just waste ground. I’m liking the idea of October 😂 then maybe create an alternative barrier against the fence.