[Closed] Let's see your raised beds !

Nearly finished mine. 2.4m x 200mm x 100mm oak sleepers.
Before:



Just got the graveled area and new patio to go!!

Still need to do the edging, thought we'd grow paving slabs..

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49858648007_87e0c0a292_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49858648007_87e0c0a292_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2iXQB1c ]Patio[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

That ^ is a sunken bed Drac 🤪

@Drac - what compost for growing Angela Lansburys?

No pics sorry. My wife wanted raised beds for her birthday, last June - I finished them last week 😀.
3 in all
1.2m by 1.4m
1.1m by 1.5m
1.2m by 2.4m
1 bag of topsoil
2 bags of compost
each bag 0.85 cubic metres.

Obviously not finished - 6 x 2400 sleepers

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49859282117_0153563e1e_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49859282117_0153563e1e_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2iXTRv8 ]2020-05-05_02-07-11[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/85252658@N05/ ]davetheblade[/url], on Flickr

That ^ is a sunken bed Drac

😀 I was waiting for that.

Artist I can’t help but think you’ve laid those sleepers wrong, they should on their side to create more volume.

Picking up 6 x 2.4m softwood sleepers tomorrow for mine. We have a mini greenhouse full of seedlings all ready. Bank holiday project sorted...

Picking up 6 x 2.4m softwood sleepers tomorrow for mine. We have a mini greenhouse full of seedlings all ready. Bank holiday project sorted

If you zoom in on my pic, you'll see some bolt heads. They are basically long screws that you drive through with an impact driver. Can't remember what they are called, but got them from the place that supplied the sleepers. Sleepers are laid on postcrete. Leave some gaps or pipe through the concrete for drainage. I didn't and water does gather in the bottom

Try and get dry ones - not off the top of the pile. The difference in weight and ease of cutting is quite considerable

My name's Richard and I have a decking problem.

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I've ordered a box of 7 x 150mm timber hex head bolts from screwfix. I was just going to lay the sleepers on the lawn..will that not work?

Sleepers are complete overkill for a raised bed, joists are fine, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

Local guy here sells reclaimed stuff, looks much better too.

Sleepers are complete overkill for a raised bed

But surely they must be the right thing for the job - they're called sleepers!

Agreed that it seems like a stupid quantity of timber to tie up in making something that has no need for such strength!

I think it's a tomb.......

It's only a stupid amount of timber if you don't want to see much timber 🤷

It's not exactly done for structural strength 😂

Local guy here sells reclaimed stuff, looks much better

I've done the reclaimed ones on my previous massive raised bed/rockery. Fancied the newer angular ones this time

I’ve ordered a box of 7 x 150mm timber hex head bolts from screwfix. I was just going to lay the sleepers on the lawn..will that not work?

What size sleepers, sure mine are thicker than 150?

If yoor lawn is firm and level, then will probs be ok

How long are those softwood joists/sleepers going to realistically last? Would they not start rotting after a few years?

How long are those softwood joists/sleepers going to realistically last? Would they not start rotting after a few years

They are tanalised

You'd be surprised how much the ones impregnated with creosote rot eventually

If you want to see timber, build the sides up to height, then mitre a joist on top.

Bit silly though, as it takes up growing space, kinda the reason your doing it is for space.

And tantalised is a bit of a clichee too, when you cut through you'll see how little the stuff they use actually penetrates.

If I put a bit of wood around a flower bed, it becomes a 'raised bed', despite maintaining the same soil altitude.

Makes no sense.

However, I use decking boards for mine. Treated so will last a bit longer.

If you want to see timber, build the sides up to height, then mitre a joist on top.

Or alternatively, build the bed how I want it and not how some bloke on the internet tells me he thinks it should be? 😘

I wasn't giving you advice, you've built yours, the OP hasn't.

Artist I can’t help but think you’ve laid those sleepers wrong, they should on their side to create more volume

Missed this comment - I did consider it, but didn't want to go any higher and opted for a thick wood border

I wasn’t giving you advice, you’ve built yours, the OP hasn’t.

Seemed like a direct reply to my comments, but no worries 👍

We got a couple of potato boxes from the local farmer and chopped them in half horizontally to make 4 beds.

Are we having a scrap about raised beds?!

Here are mine partially planted up

After 8 years they have rotted through and despite being locked down I could not be arsed to replace so hammered in some temporary stakes and hoping for the best

`

Missed this comment – I did consider it, but didn’t want to go any higher and opted for a thick wood border

Errmmm! It would have been the same height more or less. Still you’ve done more than me I’m still looking into it.

@ Bearnecessities - Do you put any plastic lining in those before the compost?

@t3ap0t My raised beds have no linings. You can then plant your potatoes nice and deep and get lovely big long parsnips.

Lining them would make big fixed planter tubs.

@winston might want to remove the turf from the lawn to stop the grass growing up through the new topsoil (seriously). The turf will rot down to lovely compost though.

Enjoy the plants and veg!

might want to remove the turf from the lawn to stop the grass growing up through the new topsoil (seriously)

I’ve seen cardboard recommended to be used between the turf and the new topsoil, to prevent this.

Half arse attempt at an arty angle;
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One of 3 new metal raised beds we have just put into the new garden. It's well established and we have been avoiding replacing the flower beds with veg as they are amazing us with the amount of different flowers. So 3 of these are 2/3m X 0.8m on a mix of hard and ground standing. This one is peas.

Oh and a really shonky one from wood that was laying around.

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FWIW I've made them before using 6*2 tannalised from Wickes with 2*2 stakes but the triangular shape hole I need to fill has me slightly scratching my head.

@nixie - how did you make that metal raised bed? Is it wrapped around a wooden frame for strength?

Hardly anyone had mentioned what they are growing.

I can’t believe I’ve just read an entire thread about raised beds... and I don’t know why!

I spent the last 2 days learning to bricklay, as I didn't want some old wood going soft. This is where I'm at so far..

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@5lab - what are you going to grow in there?

Hardly anyone had mentioned what they are growing.

I've been given loads of plants by my grandfather and mother-in-law so I've just been planting what I've got. Will move stuff around as and when I need to.
Currently have:

Existing plants:
Willow tree
Photinia Red Robin
Forsythia
Magnolia Star Wars
Acer Japonicum
Lonicera

New additions:
Hibiscus
Random Rose
Fuscia
A few ribbon grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
Crocosmia Lucifer
Gladioli
Acer Summer Gold
A couple of Hydrangea
Trailing Clematis
Lilac

@ElShalimo I made it with my credit card :). Quite a few out options in different sizes on sale now. There is no wood inside but it is braced across the width where the straight lengths join (2 braces in that big one).

Not the cheapest option but we need beds quickly and getting tighter radius bends from roofing suppliers does not look that easy (that and you'd still need to cut the roofing sheets with an angle grinder to get the height). If I was buying again I'd not bother with coloured and just go for straight galvanised as it was stupidly easy to scratch them and the corner pieces especially were marked on delivery. There are some rectangular designs with square corners that you could diy more easily using flashing pieces as the corners.

As for plants the shonky wooden one is killing green beans. The metal one above has peas at the moment but will also be having some tumbling tomatoes over the side. The other big metal one has courgettes. Small metal will be tomatoes or raspberries (or both).

We've mixed lettuce, cut and come again lettuce, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, radish, spinach, peas and broccoli. More going in today as we've staggered planting.
Of course that means snow due at the weekend...

Your terraced beds are really neat @matt_outandabout.

@Drac – what compost for growing Angela Lansburys?

Manure, she wrote.