Raised beds

[I'm doing this now!]

Folks, Wifey and I are looking at getting some recycled plastic raised beds. 2 of 2 x 1 meter and 1 of 2 x 1/2 meter (or thereabouts) 300 - 500 mm high. Not interested in making from or buying wooden ones as I I want longevity and zero maintenance. Is anyone on here using plastic raised beds and if so can you give me some company names where you got them from. Google has given me a few. 2 of which i have used in the past but not for these and they all seem to be blooming expensive when it comes to raised beds. Ta ever so.

[Peanut]

I have some link a bord beds Home - Linkabord I have had them for about 20yrs and they are still going strong.

[I'm doing this now!]

Thanks Peanut, Hollow but cheaper than what i've been looking at. This gives me options.

[mothhawk]

Good link, Peanut. I've also been looking around for raised beds and finally decided I didn't want to buy wood and make them myself. Wood kits are expensive and mostly made of softwood. While I dislike buying plastic in general, these look as if they will give many years of useful life.

I read elsewhere someone said ants get into the hollow centre of the boards. Have you found that, Peanut?

[Peanut]

I haven't had a problem with ants in the link a bords, but I did notice when I had the beds only 1 board high that snails hibernated in the corner pieces.
I now have what were 3 x 1 high beds, all stacked together as one single 3ft ish high bed and the snails haven't moved in, as yet, but its been a few years since I had them like this so I hope they won't bother.

I was thinking about getting older (boo!) and the benefit but cost of raised beds and wondered about using the link a bord beds as a base layer as they last forever, then adding less expensive scaffold boards or the like above to build the beds up, with some kind of metal stake or plastic tubing over a bamboo cane either side of the link a bord to hold the wood in place...
In my head it works, but my head can be a dangerous place for random ideas!

[Nicos]

We used rusty old wriggly tin in one section of our last allotment. Very strong, but the edges can be sharp.

[burnie]

I built three with those "railway sleepers" you see in builders yards thinking they would outlast me, well I'm obviously built of tougher stuff as they are rotting quite badly.

[rary]

My raised beds are made with concrete slabs, cost me nothing as folk were throwing them out, the last bed I made the slabs were joined together using one of the supper glues which can be used under water and applied using a silicon cartridge gun, andto stop any snails squeezing into any gaps that there may be I sealed all joints with cheap silicon

[I'm doing this now!]

I've seen the corrugated type and one of my compost bins is effectively the same. it's 8 feet x 4 feet x 2 feet and is an old Anderson shelter. Oval in shape. I have another which is concrete, made from sections of a pre-fab garage which I have dead leaves in. I have other sections of this but they are acting as bases / path for my current water butt area.
With regards to the solid plastic variety I have been looking at. I have got 1 quote back today for 4 raised beds. I'll make them myself as the pre made ones are MORE expensive
1@ 2.4 x 0.5 x 0.3.
1 @ 2.0 x 1 x 0.3
1@ 2.0 x 1 x 0.45
[email protected] x 1 x 0.6.
Quoted for the materials at just over 2k.. Who thought recycled plastic was cheap?? I await other quotes too.

[Nicos]

Wow!!!! … how much?????? * falls over sideways in disbelief!

[Snoop Puss]

^I know. If you can get away without needing raised beds for drainage or whatever reason, you're financially a lot better off. For that price you can buy a lot of fruit, veg and flowers!

Me, I do a version of what Charles Dowding does. His plot has no raised beds or walls. I have no raised beds, but I do rake the big lumps of soil I can't break up to the edges of the beds and essentially form walls with them to retain rain and irrigation water in the beds.

[mothhawk]

I need raised beds in my tiny veg patch. It is only 4m x 1.25m which for some folks is just one bed I expect. I've been growing on it for 35+years and it is now 8" higher than the flower garden the other side of the path which runs to the back gate. It has been held in check all that time by 6" decking board but that has now come to the end of its life. I could buy more board and make edging to shore it up but to be honest I can't be doing with the hassle now.

Two x 1m square and one 1m x 0.5m willl fit nicely with room for the dalek and space between, and without encroaching on the raspberry canes which are trying to do some encroaching of their own.

[mothhawk]

With regards to the solid plastic variety I have been looking at. I have got 1 quote back today for 4 raised beds. I'll make them myself as the pre made ones are MORE expensive
1@ 2.4 x 0.5 x 0.3.
1 @ 2.0 x 1 x 0.3
1@ 2.0 x 1 x 0.45
[email protected] x 1 x 0.6.
Quoted for the materials at just over 2k.. Who thought recycled plastic was cheap?? I await other quotes too.

It's the re-jigging of the machinery to make 3 separate custom sizes that costs, IDTN. Probably take them most of a day to make those few and re-set the machines. Probably the wages of 2 or 3 men plus loss of production of standard sizes.

[rary]

I need raised beds in my tiny veg patch. It is only 4m x 1.25m which for some folks is just one bed I expect. I've been growing on it for 35+years and it is now 8" higher than the flower garden the other side of the path which runs to the back gate. It has been held in check all that time by 6" decking board but that has now come to the end of its life. I could buy more board and make edging to shore it up but to be honest I can't be doing with the hassle now.

Two x 1m square and one 1m x 0.5m willl fit nicely with room for the dalek and space between, and without encroaching on the raspberry canes which are trying to do some encroaching of their own.

Mothhawk I would recommend that you try concrete edging, 36x6inches and 2 inches thick use stixall or similar industrial glue which comes in a cartridge as the edging is flat topped you can add another level to it if required you should be able to purchase the edging at a building suppliers, or possibly b&q or similar

[mothhawk]

Nice idea, Rary, but I don't want anything as solidly permanent as that, plus there are no suitably muscled men in my address book to manhandle them.