Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I am interested in making raised beds in the garden. I have not done
this before, so I have a couple of questions:

I am thinking of using wood due to cost, i.e. it is cheap. I see some
people use pressure treated decking boards like these:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Premi...-2-4m/p/101000

Is this the best timber to use?

Is there a danger of the preservative leaching into the soil? I was
hoping to grow some vegetables to eat and do not want to poison
myself!

Some web sites suggest putting a plastic sheet between the wood and
the soil to prevent this contamination but other web sites do not
mention it; is it necessary?

What is the best way to screw four pieces of timber together to make a
rectangular raised bed? I was thinking that I would need to sue a
piece of 2x2 in each corner and screw into these. Half of the 2x2
could be buried in the ground to anchor it.

However, is anchoring necessary: will the weight of the soil no hold
it in place?

Do I need to 2x2 at all, as I have seen some beds where the ends have
been butted together and just screwed through.

What is the best way of doing things?

Thanks,
Stephen.

If you are doing to assist a disabled gardener, then don't make the beds
too wide as the use might not be able to reach into the middle!

I got this wrong when I did mine for SWMBO and now I have to do various
jobs in the centre of the beds and I hate gardening!

Long and narrow is the best arrangement.

I also laid in 15mm copper pipe and a valve into the corner of each bed
and connected seep hose to each valve. This allows timed automatic
watering with the option to adjust the flow rate in each bed from 0 to 100%
During wettest months the water feed is turned off and an extra valve
opened (belt and braces possibly) so that freezing does not force the
joints apart.