04-04-2014, 10:04 AM
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Registered User
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Aug 2007
Posts: 168
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stuart noble
On 01/04/2014 19:28, Bigal wrote:
Janet;999603 Wrote:
In article , lid
says...-
On 08/03/2014 12:59, David.WE.Roberts wrote:
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Can't at the moment decide about the beds - we have seen some made
from
seriously thick sleepers which look nice, but if this is going to be
a
once built last forever arrangement then we might build in brick and
block.-
If you want something made of wood that will not rot and will last
years, then go for old railway sleepers made of jarrah wood. The only
problem is if you want them cut to size - even saw blades tipped with
tungsten carbide can take quite a time to cut through seasoned
jarrah.-
We used the chainsaw.-
There are a number of suppliers in the UK.-
However, it was common for older ones to get saturated with with tar
or engine oil, during their working life on the railway. That's one of
the reasons they last forever :-)
I used such sleepers to make raised veg beds in my (cold, wet)
Scottish mainland high moors garden.. not noted for summer heat. Even
after 18 years, on a sunny summer day (remember those? ) the ancient
sleepers would bubble tarry oil.. so sitting on them to weed was
inadvisable and even treading on them risks trailing tar smears
indoors.
Janet.
I found the simplest answer was 4 inch breeze blocks. You can lay them
on side or end if you want, but I just laid them flat, 3 high. If you
want somewhere to sit, a couple extra on top do the job. They build
houses out of them, so they should last for a good while. They don't
have to be cemented in place, which is quite useful if you want to
change its shape. The top of the wall is quite useful for growing in
pots. You can also increase the height as you grow older. Depends on
how much you want to lay out. £50 will make a 5 sq.m bed. 33 blocks for
each level. 9 inch hollow blocks could be incorporated which would give
some growing space in the wall.
They're certainly functional, but not everyone's idea of attractive. I
wonder they don't produce something a bit more rustic in colour |
They tone down with time, and you can always paint them with old yoghurt or liquid manure to encourage a growth covering. If they were coloured, you can guarantee the price would go through the ceiling.
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