Suitable timber for raised bed

[StepOne]

Hi,

I want to build a raised bed in our garden - I saw one on holiday that used fairly substantial timber - not quite sleeper sized - and I quite liked the dimensions of the boards and wanted to use something similar. I think the timber dimensions would have been roughly similar to this ;

https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/Sawn-Ti ... m/p/684945

The description says that's been treated with Tanalith 'E' - is there any reason that would not be suitable for a raised bed? We won't be growing vegetables in it.

Thanks,
StepOne.

[saechunu]

I think it depends on how you want it to look, how you'll use it, and how long you want it to last...

I built some raised beds a while ago and used pressure treated softwood 'sleepers', 245mm x 120mm section, stacked on their narrow edge, giving a 120mm thickness to the bed sides. These are fairly substantial affairs that you can stand or sit on the edges of, some of the beds are structural in nature and form retaining walls, and I wanted it all to last for a long time and look a certain way.

It's because of these requirements that substantial materials (ie. sleepers) were chosen. Most raised beds that you see around are far less bulky, but they're not trying to tick so many boxes. It all comes down to what problem you're trying to solve.

[ReformedCharacter]

Hi,

I want to build a raised bed in our garden - I saw one on holiday that used fairly substantial timber - not quite sleeper sized - and I quite liked the dimensions of the boards and wanted to use something similar. I think the timber dimensions would have been roughly similar to this ;

https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/Sawn-Ti ... m/p/684945

The description says that's been treated with Tanalith 'E' - is there any reason that would not be suitable for a raised bed? We won't be growing vegetables in it.

Thanks,
StepOne.

I did look into just this question a few years ago before building mine. I used concrete blocks which may have been a mistake. Anyway, I think it's highly unlikely to be a problem.

RC

[vrdiver]

There's more discussion about raised beds constructed from timber treated with Tanalith "E" over at http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/fru ... 89236.html

[bungeejumper]

I was recently looking at a website called http://www.gardoo.co.uk, which does a full-sized sleeper (100mm x 200mm x 2400mm) for twelve quid, which seems like an absolute bargain even though it's probably not tanalised. It's in West Sussex, which might mean that delivery wouldn't be cost-effective for you, but as a starting idea of prices it's quite useful.

Personally, I'd go for sleepers any day. They look handsome, and there's so much less to go wrong.

BJ

[StepOne]

Personally, I'd go for sleepers any day. They look handsome, and there's so much less to go wrong. BJ

Hi,

I do like sleepers, but I don't think the dimensions are right for this piece of work. The bed will be 2400 by 600 mm. If the sleepers are 100mm wide then they will look quite large when compared to the width of the bed. The bed I saw on holiday was long and narrow; more like a mini wall running alongside some decking, and the timber they used looked to me to be 2 or 3 inches deep - not as large as a sleeper.

I'm having trouble imagining exactly how it will look once it's in place, but maybe I just have to go for it and see how it turns out!

Cheers,
StepOne

[kiloran]

Personally, I'd go for sleepers any day. They look handsome, and there's so much less to go wrong. BJ

Hi,

I do like sleepers, but I don't think the dimensions are right for this piece of work. The bed will be 2400 by 600 mm. If the sleepers are 100mm wide then they will look quite large when compared to the width of the bed. The bed I saw on holiday was long and narrow; more like a mini wall running alongside some decking, and the timber they used looked to me to be 2 or 3 inches deep - not as large as a sleeper.

I'm having trouble imagining exactly how it will look once it's in place, but maybe I just have to go for it and see how it turns out!

Cheers,
StepOne

I built quite a few raised beds using 75x75mm fenceposts. Lightly sanded down, and chamfered the corners with a plane, then painted with Cuprinol or some such, and screwed together. Looks quite smart, and you can stack it as high as you like (mine are 4 deep).

--kiloran

[saechunu]

I'm having trouble imagining exactly how it will look once it's in place, but maybe I just have to go for it and see how it turns out!

A Google image search for: raised bed sleepers - should deliver thousands of design ideas to peruse, whether you're using sleepers or other timber. I looked at lots before settling on my design.

A downside of sleepers is their weight and thickness means they're not the easiest thing to work with.

[bungeejumper]

A downside of sleepers is their weight and thickness means they're not the easiest thing to work with.

Aye, but they don't move about once they're down. Either way, a few deep steel rods driven into the ground (and possibly drilled through successive layers of timbers) will do a lot to keep the structure together, whichever type of timber the OP ends up with. A few flat wood drilling bits (http://www.screwfix.com/p/flat-wood-bit-set-6pcs/18593) will make short work of the job.

BJ