Grow Your Own Magazine

Does anyone have any idea where to come by some scaffold boards for raised beds. I have tried the obvious places like freecycle etc.

Someone posted last week that they had had some very cheap from a scaffolding company.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

do you have any farmer style auctions that happen near you. I know the one at Thirsk which I often go to always has packs of old boards.

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http://keeping-it-green.blogspot.com/

As Shirley said, go straight to the horse's mouth, ring all the scaffolding companies in your Yellow Pages* and ask what they do with their damaged boards. Some of them do re-use them cut up as wedges etc though. If that fails, look in YP again or Google for a Reclamation Yard in your area.

*other phone books are available...

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

try your local tool rental center

ooooh I love scaffold boards. I build all my raised beds from them (and am hatching a cunning plan to make my paths from them too).

I just phoned up the first scaffolding company I found in the Yellow Pages. They're called Amber (funny that, it beginning with A...) It took a little courage to begin with but they were pretty friendly (if puzzled) and I've been back several years in a row now. They sometimes give me them free, but if they've only got a few available they charge me about a fiver per board. Which is not bad considering they're 12 ft long.

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God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done.

Phoned my local company, I think they realise theres an income stream there as they charge £7 per 13ft board. Do folk think this is expensive?

Well to put it in perspective, B&Q are selling decking boards 2.4m long for £4.60 ish at the mo (usually £5.60). These scaffold boards are just short of 4m long, so work out a little cheaper. But not much! Did you tell them you'd take damaged ones? Would they deliver them free? 13ft is too big to fit in my car...

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

When I asked a scaffold company about getting damaged ones they said that they could only sell brand new ones as the damaged ones have to be destroyed for health and safety reasons ie. they are damaged and cannot be used for scaffolding. They wouldn't budge when I said for the garden, maybe they thought I looked like a scaffolder.

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si'sraisedbed

My local scaffolders tried this -but then gave in and just wrote on the invoice 'not to be used fro scaffolding'.

Cant find any cheaper anywhere else so will have to bite the bullet and buy them as the tunnel is coming next week.

I was told of a reclamation place near us and they charge £3 a board but " you bloody well have what your given" well thats the cleaned up version that some one was told when he enquired about boards & slabs...

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Are decking boards a suitable alternative?

Raised beds seem the answer to a couple of issues in my garden

starwiz has a fab bed made from decking boards

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Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

Depends how deep you want your raised beds, really? I would imagine decking boards would be dearer than scaffold boards though?

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Have u guys had a look on ebay - theres quie a few going

or alternatively you could do what i am going to do is get a load of pallets break off the top bits use the spacers as joiners you can get 2 strips of the top wood high on em and do it that way, if anyone understands that

failing that do you think british rail would miss some railway sleepers hehehe

Try a builder's merchant or timber yard. The scaffold company will realistically want to add a profit.

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Digger-07

"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right" Henry Ford.

Had a bit of luck today. I rang a local small scaffolding company and they sold me 6 x 10 ft scaffold planks for a tenner. I asked if i could go back during the season and he said no problem. Looks like lots of raised beds for me this year then.

or look in builder's merchants for the boards they use to put in lofts. I can't get scaffolb boards here but can get the loft boards - which come pre-treated tho I do give them a second coat of preservative - and they are very inexpensive, 4m meter boards, thick and wide, cost 7.20 euros each and are brill for raised beds.

But I use decking boards for my boxes in which I plant soft fruit/kiwis/grapes etc in the new fruit tunnels (recycled material except the tying wires) because I can then have them any depth I want them.

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TonyF, Dordogne 24220

Just keep phoning around good buddy, i managed to source 30 in total. Local Companys are better than multi national ones. You may have to pay a delivery charge and sometimes they are too happy for someone to take them off their hands. My plot will be completely raised beds, measuring 4ft x 10ft and easily put together with 3inch coach screws.

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good Diggin, Chuffa.

THis thread is very timely indeed - will be picking up keys for new house on Thursday and will need to crack on with the raised beds immediately!

Will ring local scaffolders next week i think, i hope i can tie them to the roof of the car? (the boards, not the scaffolders, obviously!!)

Looks like i'm going to have a busy Easter.......

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There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

In the end it cost me 30 quid for 6 x 10ft boards. Couldnt find them cheaper anywhere else, so those of you who can get them for nothing, I envy you!