Raised flower beds

[pyro]

Hey guys and gals, hope every one is well!

 

Since getting a collie puppy our garden now resembles a bombsite, also due to the harsh winter round here everything is pretty much dead!

 

Currently I'm redesigning now in the cold and wet to make a start in the wam(er) wet bit of the year!

 

So heres the question - what do people use for raised flower beds?

 

Ive been looking for railway sleepers or reclaimed timber but well out of our price range, Dad has a plan of what needs to be done, and as soon as i can get cad to cooperate ill put up a line drawing of what we are thinking.

 

Basically we are looking at raised flower beds, on two tiers. And just wondered what people use for them? We are aiming for a rustic look so blocks and a skim are out of the question im afraid.

 

options ive considered-

sleepers - very expensive

fence posts - lost needed and decisivley square

logs/trunk sawn in half - anyone help with this?

hazel/willow woven panels - where to source several miles of green hazel!

 

ive not realyl thought this thread through so any help appreciated!

 

Ben

[jump-it]

hi, you could use telegraph poles, whole or split in half, you get more for your money than sleepers. as for square timber you could router a rounded edge or skill saw a 45 degree on the two on show sides. will try sort some pics of different revetting i use im my job

[jump-it]

the 1st three pics are 4" pp h/r nailed/screwed to a simple frame work and capped with a h/r aswell. the wireing is because they are horse jumps and need to withstand alot of pressure.

 

 

 

 

these are 16ft 5x3 with routered edges capped off with a 4" pp h/r

 

afraid i cant find any pics atm of ones ive done with telegraph poles

[Giles Hill]

What is your budget and what kind of length do you need? Any idea of height?

[John Barleycorn]

Split Sweet Chestnut. My brother uses some that I supplied.

Cheap, more rot resistant than Oak, more eco friendly. Not full of toxins & residues like railway sleepers & treated wood.

[John Russell]

I made my wife's raised beds from 'dung board' -- available at any farm suppliers. She likes quite high raised beds -- less stooping down -- and they are tongued and grooved which makes for a good finish. I came up with a way to make the corners pretty and will try to get a photo of them tomorrow to post.

 

Best wishes,

 

John Russell

[Nic Johnson Contracting]

what about using reclaimed scaffold boards..

[pyro]

Sorry for the delay in my reply! been a hectic week arguing with vosa and the dvla!

 

Budget - cheap as possible! ie not much

 

currently there is no time scale as money is a bit short!

 

 

ive attached a plan of the garden as it is at the moment, square in the middle is the pond

 

4 meters by 12 meters ish.

 

Im looking at raised beds down the left and right sides, continuing round the arcs. if that makes sense. maybe on 2 tiers.

 

as the back garden is on hold at the moment ive done the front instead!

drawn a fibbonacci spiral in the garden in block paving, interior filled with gravel, and im now looking for some woodchip/bark for the outside (any body help with this )

 

thanks

Ben

[miker]

new softwood sleepers

[Giles Hill]

The Paving expert website is good for general construction advice, the link below goes to the section on terracing:

 

Pavingexpert - AJ McCormack and Son - Hard Landscape Features - Terracing

 

You've mentioned cost as being a major consideration, so I guess it will be a case of working out what materials you can source for next to nothing.

 

Assuming you're an arb and you've also mentioned logs & trunks - these can be used vertically as per the timber post detail, or if you've got access to straight stems, they could be used horizontally as per the sleeper / telegraph pole detail. Oak elm or sweet chestnut will obviously last a lot longer than species that are less decay resistant. You can fill in any gaps with hazel poles driven in behind the main wall.

 

Alternatively if you know any friendly builders, consider the dry wall.

 

Or go out at night and harvest your local telegraph poles.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Giles Hill