Raised Beds

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Does anyone have any experience of building raised beds from sleepers? An allotment site I am helping to clear is going to have some raised beds built for people in wheelchairs or people with mobility issues to use. I've just received an email to see if any of the volunteers know how to build raised beds. A few friends built a bothy from sleepers so I'll pick their brains but I thought where better than to ask some Grapes. Drainage is not an issue and the sleepers have not been coated in anything nasty. So hints, tips or linkies greatly appreciated

[Kleftiwallah]

If there are people in wheelchairs, the last thing I would use is sleepers. Far too wide for elderly / infirm to reach over plus the chance of preservativs damaging clothes.

Paving slabs 24" X 24" on edge with a retaining collar of angle iron painted with hammerite round the top edge. no probs.

Cheers, Tony.

[veggiechicken]

I've used loads of sleepers in this garden. You can buy untreated sleepers so the preservatives are not an issue - mine are old railway sleepers. Some are gunkier than others. They can be laid on the horizontal, either on the wide side, or the narrow side. On the narrow side they would need to be fixed together but you only need half the number of sleepers that you need if placed on the wide side. You need to decide how high you want to build the raised beds too. They are very heavy so you need some strong helpers to carry them!

[taff]

Raised beds,high or low height garden beds to help disabled gardeners,gardening with a disability

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Thanks guys. Got a phone call last night and the panic is over. A charity that supplied the sleepers will come out and build them Thankfully the sleepers are not, well nasty. The raised beds for the immobile are being built so that they can plonk theirs bots on the edge of a raised bed. Mr Frosty is after one - we will know in a couple weeks if we have been lucky The raised beds for the wheelchair users are designed so that they are more U shaped, the chair can go into the bed (does that make sense).

[Bigmallly]

Raised beds,high or low height garden beds to help disabled gardeners,gardening with a disability

Brilliant thread for able bodied folk as well...........Your not a mom for nowt.

[taff]

my head swelled more then....