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Newbie from Cardiff - what material for raised bed edges?

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  • #1

    Newbie from Cardiff - what material for raised bed edges?

    Hi, I am new to the forum. I have had my allotment for nine years this summer and I have decided to makes things a little easier by splitting my plot which is approx 7.5 meters wide by 30 meters long into beds. I am making each bed 1.5 meters wide, with a path in between each bed of 1 meters wide. I am 6 foot 6 and so I can reach comfortably across this bed width.

    I am looking for ideas on what to use for the edging to these beds. I am currently looking at untreated and also pressure treated scaffolding boards (150x50mm) and decking boards of the same size, and also plastic fascia board (150x16mm).

    I garden organically and so I would like to limit any leaching of chemicals into the soil, so any advice would be welcomed.

    Thanks

    John
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  • #2
    Hi John and Welcome to the vine.

    My beds are edged with treated gravel boards. I think that modern treatment doesn't leach the way older treatments used to.

    Do you need to edge it - a raised bed is at it's simplest a bud raised higher than the path and surrounding area and not walked on and compressed - they don't have to have edges.

    New all singing all dancing blog - Jasons Jungle

    �I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."
    ― Thomas A. Edison

    �Negative results are just what I want. They�re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don�t.�
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    - I must be a Nutter,VC says so -

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    • #3
      Croeso John - I'm in Cardiff too
      Can't advise on the raised bed edging -sorry - but somebody, like Jay-ell who knows everything, will be along soon..............

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      • #4
        Hello John and welcome to the Vine. I am sure you will find ideas for your future plans on here.
        I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Thomas A. Edison

        Outreach co-ordinator for the Gnome, Pixie and Fairy groups within the Nutters Club.

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        • #5
          You can always have a read through this thread for any inspiration

          http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ase_84359.html

          New all singing all dancing blog - Jasons Jungle

          �I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."
          ― Thomas A. Edison

          �Negative results are just what I want. They�re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don�t.�
          ― Thomas A. Edison

          - I must be a Nutter,VC says so -

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          • #6
            Mine are scaffolding boards....(pic is an old one) they weren't treated and are starting to rot now after 7 years. Some people line the edges with plastic and tack over the top to stop them getting wet.
            Click image for larger version Name: image.jpg Views: 1 Size: 21.5 KB ID: 2372121

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            • #7
              Do you need them raised up, or just divided? I'm just using cardboard with woodchip on top to divide mine.
              Another happy Nutter...

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Scarlet View Post
                Mine are scaffolding boards....(pic is an old one) they weren't treated and are starting to rot now after 7 years. Some people line the edges with plastic and tack over the top to stop them getting wet.
                [ATTACH=CONFIG]72858[/ATTACH]
                That's decent longevity from scaffold boards - think mine lasted about half that long.

                Jonboy, two questions:

                1. How long do you want them to last?
                2. How much are you prepared to spend?

                In my last garden I was prepared to spend no pounds and no pence, so went for scaffold boards. It didn't matter how long they lasted because I could source replacements at the same price.

                In my new garden I wanted to do it once, properly, and never touch them again. So I've shelled out for green oak sleepers which, judging by the weight, will outlive me. At about £33 each delivered (2400x200x100mm) they weren't especially cheap, but calculated over a 30+ year lifespan it doesn't seem too bad.

                So I've kind of gone from the cheapest possible to the most expensive. It's a bit of a balancing act in that respect.
                Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
                By singing-'Oh how beautiful!" and sitting in the shade,
                While better men than we go out and start their working lives
                At grubbing weeds from gravel paths with broken dinner-knives. ~ Rudyard Kipling

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                • #9
                  Welcome Jon.

                  Tidy

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                  • #10
                    I have beds on my allotment 7m x 1.7m. The paths between them are weed suppressant fabric and I don't have any edges. The fabric is tucked into the ground and the beds have built up over the years so they mound up a couple of inches high in the middle.

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