Wood for Raised Beds

[shankar]

Complete novice to gardening but seting out my veg plot. Planned to have 10 8ft*4ft*15 inch raised beds with paving slab paths. Started using pressure treated timber but not sure is safe for veg patch? Please advise. Natural rot resistant timber will be prohibitively expensive. Should I forget the wood and just go for mounds?

Thanks
Shankar

[andrewo]

Good idea

Hi,
I did this in my small garden, have done it on a wider plot but it is a good idea. I found a cheaper way by using old scaffold boards, preserving them myself, I cut the costs by two thirds. I also discovered that keeping my beds small, a max of 3' wide and 6' long meant that they seemed to do better. They warmed up faster in summer. And helped with no dig solution, as raised bed soil tends to sink you can add manure each year or compost and you soon get deep beds.

The only thing I avoid growing in them is potatoes as I find some varieties do better in sacks or barrels.

Also raised beds help with your back! Now have them at home and they are just two and half foot wide and boy I got some bumper courgettes this year!

As for the preservative, I did a test and discovered that the boards lasted up to ten years without it and with it, ten years.


Andrewo

[WiZeR]

out of interest, where did you get the old scaffold boards and how much did you pay?

[andrewo]

Scaffold boards

It's the boring bit but I phoned around builders and scaffold companies. They tend to have boards they have to get rid of after a few years, I don't know why they have to do this but the people I phoned were helpful and eager to get rid of old boards (normally they're burnt or just thrown!). I paid roughly £1.50-£3.00 a board (boards could be up to ten foot long! And were between 10" and 15" in width). So, all I can suggest is get out that old directory and phone around.

Andrew

[shankar]

thanks

Thanks for the advice. I was also concerned about chemicals leeching from the preerved wood and harming my kids. I have finally decided to go for 6 inch deep beds but to line them with cheap tiles to avoid the above problem. We'll see if it works.

[Paddy]

You say you have concrete flags. Cut them in half(hire grinder) and put on edge. Not too bad looking if painted dark green, last for ever and are resusable if you change your mind. you can also advertise for free flags on the internet.

Paddy

[chuffa]

It's the boring bit but I phoned around builders and scaffold companies. They tend to have boards they have to get rid of after a few years, I don't know why they have to do this but the people I phoned were helpful and eager to get rid of old boards (normally they're burnt or just thrown!). I paid roughly £1.50-£3.00 a board (boards could be up to ten foot long! And were between 10" and 15" in width). So, all I can suggest is get out that old directory and phone around.

Andrew

Its the law now Andrew. Any faults with the timber they have to get rid of them. Rotting, splits, etc. I got mine, about 30 in total just for the delivery price of £15. I've had them on the lottie now for three years and only a couple of the boards need replacing due to rotting, but I must say that they were about five years old when I got them.

[smilingshoe]

Hi

I've just been through the same ordeal, trying to find cheap wood for raised beds. After ringing around every scaffolding and building firm in a 20 mile radius I had little joy finding the number of scaffolding boards needed. A local firm would sell them to me at £3 each, but didn't have any at the time and then only in numbers of 4 or 5 at a time. I needed 38 and with the faff of going to get them and transport them safely each time I figured that would take ages that I didn't have. It would seem that these companies have woken up to the fact that we want them too ! which of course means that there is a market to be exploited and prices have increased dramatically. In the end I found a company in Oldbury that sold them for £5.50 each and they delivered them to me. Expensive I know but having trawled around timber wholesalers, farming auctions and trading estates it was the best I could come up with. The company in Oldbury was called Genesis.

Good luck finding them

[Bigmallly]

Its the law now Andrew. Any faults with the timber they have to get rid of them. Rotting, splits, etc. I got mine, about 30 in total just for the delivery price of £15. I've had them on the lottie now for three years and only a couple of the boards need replacing due to rotting, but I must say that they were about five years old when I got them.

Have you seen the date this was posted chuffa?..........

[francesbean]

Have you seen the date this was posted chuffa?..........

Good spot bigmally - sometimes its worth resurrecting threads, but OP never did post again after the first 2.

francesbean

[smilingshoe]

Silly me ...... should have looked at the date doh !!!!!!!!

[grayjenny]

Cedar is best wood used for raised beds, as they are treated with creosote.which resists bugs and rot, but won’t adversely affect garden soil either.Cedar chests are used to store clothing and linens.Cedar is used to line closets to discourage moths.

[oldie]

Creosote has been banned for a number of years. I thought Red Cedar was just a naturally rot resistant wood.