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  • #1

    Planter and Raised Bed Construction and Help.

    Hello All,
    New to this gardening/veg growing game. Please feel free to move this to correct thread location.
    Couple questions regards several style of planters I will be making up this weekend.

    Type 1- Free standing decking board planters .
    https://imgur.com/uvjwCXd


    I’m looking to construct 6no of these from new decking boards. With aim of using these to grow, herbs, spices and salads leaves. Ive have spent £150 on buying the decking boards. So longevity is something I am thinking of.

    Several questions here:
    Should i do the planters 2 or 3 board(120mm) wide. So either 240mm or 360mm wide?
    They will be 3 boards high.

    Should I stain them inside and out? Read a lot about the about the stain leaching.

    Should I line them with plastic? Stop water running out of sides/gaps, but do slug live here? A lot of slugs do live on the wall next to where these will be located.
    I will drill holes in bottom for drainage.

    I have bulk bag of builders sand free to use which I was planning on putting 75mm of sand in base of each one, followed by a layer 75mm gravel (which I need to buy a bulkbag of) then layer up with top soil (which I need to buy a bulkbag of) followed by compost when plants started from seeds.


    Type 2- 3high Pallet collar (1200x800) raised beds sitting on grass/ old beds.

    Looking to construct 6/7 of these as I’ve managed to acquire 21 free used pallet collars. With aim of using these to grow more standard veg, toms, leaks, spring onion, pumpkin, ect.

    Several questions here:

    Should I stain them inside and out? Read a lot about the about the stain leaching.

    Should I line them with plastic? Stop water running out of sides/gaps, but will slugs live here?

    Should I line the bottom with old newspaper??

    I have bulk bag of builders sand free to use which I was planning on putting 75mm of sand in base of each one, followed by a layer 75mm gravel (which I need to buy a bulkbag of) then layer up with top soil (which I need to buy a bulkbag of) followed by compost when plants started from seeds.





    My preferences would be keep things a simple and cheap as possible.
    I’m thinking of;
    Type 1- Free standing decking board planters .
    Only line the sides with plastic and build up contents as described above.
    Type 2- 3high Pallet collar (1200x800) raised beds sitting on grass.
    Only line base with old newspapers/card and build up contents as described above.



    Any tips, advice, thoughts welcome. I don’t mind grafting but looking to keep things as cheap as possible, however if I will get an extra 5 years from them I would look to stain.

    Thanks All
    GH.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Hi and welcome.
    I can't help you on the construction but remember, the deeper you make the beds, the more compost you need to fill them. Unless you plan to grow root crops like carrots and parsnips you don't need to make them very high.

    Comment

    • #3
      Hi I don't think you need the gravel. It may migrate and be annoying mixing in with the bed. I not sure you need the sand either tbh. Cardboard should be plenty.

      Am guessing you are aiming for no dig, so you want to encourage worms to take compost and distribute nutrients. Charles Dowling has some good tips on his YouTube videos hthx
      Anything is possible with the right attitude, a hammer
      and a roll of duct tape.

      Weeds have mastered the art of survival, if they are not in your way, let them feed bees

      Comment

      • #4
        When you make you containers, both types, line them with heavy duty plastic (vizqueen, 2nd. time recommending this) only use the stain for decorative purposes if you feel you need to paint the boards use a wood preservative
        it may be a struggle to reach the top, but once your over the hill your problems start.

        Member of the Nutters Club but I think I am just there to make up the numbers

        Comment

        • #5
          Sorry last post cut short (daughter came home)
          The new decking boards will be treated so no need to do them again, if you need to use the sand up mix it through the soil builders sand is not the best type to use in the garden washed concrete sand is the what you should use
          it may be a struggle to reach the top, but once your over the hill your problems start.

          Member of the Nutters Club but I think I am just there to make up the numbers

          Comment

          • #6
            Hello,

            Thank you for the reply's.
            to be clear i am making both planter types.
            I will line both inside walls of both planter types with:

            https://www.screwfix.com/p/capital-v...a-3-x-4m/50464

            and im looking to put the sand in the bottom of planter types as i need rid of it and it will saving me using so much top soil and compost. i was just worried sand might be the wrong thing and hold moister which i hear is not good.

            thanks again .

            Comment

            • #7
              Not tackling your question in detail, but in general any ordinary sawn wood in contact with soil will rot fairly quickly, as the soil will keep it wet but with air also getting to it. There are things you can do to help the wood last longer and some good advice about that has been given in other posts already, but they will struggle to last much more than 10 years I think possibly 15 if dried out from time to time and painted with more preservative.

              So I'd say for anyone making planters or similar think about the cost benefit of using wood to make them, if you have to buy the wood new - I know for myself I'd never bother to go down this route as I'm too mean an old devil to try it. Of course if you can get cheap or free wood to work with, that is a completely different kettle of fish.

              If I had to buy materials to make the sides of a raised bed I'd probably opt for something like 3' square paving slabs and galvanised wire. I do use the odd planter but those are half 80 gallon plastic barrels with holes made in them - they seem to last for ever and you could gussy them up with woven hazel or similar if you felt they looked too utilitarian - not my style, but each to their own.

              P'S don't worry about putting sand at the bottom of planters, it won't be any wetter than the soil or compost and will mean at least that there is plenty of weight in case you are planning on planting something tall in them, which might blow the whole lot over.
              Last edited by nickdub; 23-01-2020, 08:01 PM.

              Comment

              • #8
                Originally posted by ghexton View Post
                Type 1- Free standing decking board planters .
                https://imgur.com/uvjwCXd


                Several questions here:
                Should i do the planters 2 or 3 board(120mm) wide. So either 240mm or 360mm wide?
                They will be 3 boards high.
                Just checking your measurements. Do you really mean 240mm (9") or 360mm (14") wide. Seems very narrow?

                Comment

                • #9
                  I understand using the sand to get rid of it, but don’t use the gravel... you will regret it in the long term.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Originally posted by ghexton View Post
                    I will line both inside walls of both planter types with:
                    Pond liner is also good for lining this sort of thing, if you can get hold of some.
                    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

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      todays graft

                      Hello All,

                      Been cracking on in the garden today. ive uploaded a few images below so you all can see what i have got to work with. These are the seeds i acquired so far aiming to get much down as possible, gonna be hard though. the garden runs west to east from shed to house. there is a large allotment 3 gardens away so hopefully things will be successful.

                      Seed List
                      https://ibb.co/pvGCZsG

                      Garden 1
                      https://ibb.co/FHPdr9k
                      Garden 2
                      https://ibb.co/gJmdYRj

                      3 more raised beds and green house to be added.

                      https://www.summergardenbuildings.co...-30001072.html

                      https://ibb.co/GRv69bW
                      This is the space where the 6no freestanding plantes will go down the wall either 1600 x250mm or 375mm. In summer time this space is real sun trap.
                      Also need to finish the faux grass at the end.

                      Planter works today
                      https://ibb.co/x5SpxKF
                      https://ibb.co/kxN3Hwk
                      Will buy couple bulk bags of top soil to fill up.


                      https://ibb.co/0M0PFdB
                      4 Planter near summer house.
                      These 4 have been filled with old brick in the bottom and topped.with soil taken from digging out the green house base, will top up with compost later when planted.

                      I also have the big flower bed space to fill

                      Sort makings things up as go along here. I understand there lot seeds to fit in here so i may have to be little more selective. All advice welcome please. any tips on where things should go and how many to plant. looking to feed 2 people.
                      What does the soil look to people? will this be okay?Its quite a wet area.

                      any questions just let me know.
                      G
                      PS apologises on the photo links, haven't quite got it figured.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        better images.
                        Could edit post:

                        Planters today
                        https://ibb.co/vcfT0B3

                        https://ibb.co/grN91Rw

                        Thanks again.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          You'll be able to post images direct to the forum when you've made a few more posts - about 10-12 ish.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Looking good Ghexton!
                            https://nodigadventures.blogspot.com/

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Thanks for the images - makes more sense to me now - especially the narrow planters you want to put against the wall near the house. Maybe keep those for the things you want to pick regularly, like salads and herbs -which also look attractive.
                              On your "Needed" list you have a few things that you may struggle with - Lemon and Lime trees (need warmth), Walnut tree (need space) and sweet potatoes (not very productive).

                              Comment

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