First of I'd just like to say hi and give you an idea of the project I have in the garden.
We are having a flower bed around the perimeter of the garden, raised about 32" and another in front of this one raised by 16".
There are 180 meters of wood needed if using 8"x3" for this project.
My question is, can I make these using 8x2 inch timber, and lined with some plastic sheet to prolong the life of the timber.
The costs saving between 8x3 and 8x2 is about £300..

Would it be strong enough?
What plastic lining would you recommend?

I appreciate your help and any other advice you have.

Many thanks

Spunky wrote:
First of I'd just like to say hi and give you an idea of the project I
have in the garden.
We are having a flower bed around the perimeter of the garden, raised
about 32" and another in front of this one raised by 16".
There are 180 meters of wood needed if using 8"x3" for this project.
My question is, can I make these using 8x2 inch timber, and lined with
some plastic sheet to prolong the life of the timber.
The costs saving between 8x3 and 8x2 is about £300..

Would it be strong enough?


That depends on the size. 32" of dirt will exert a lot of pressure over time.

What plastic lining would you recommend?

I appreciate your help and any other advice you have.

Many thanks

Spunky wrote:

We are having a flower bed around the perimeter of the garden, raised
about 32" and another in front of this one raised by 16".
There are 180 meters of wood needed if using 8"x3" for this project.
My question is, can I make these using 8x2 inch timber, and lined with
some plastic sheet to prolong the life of the timber.
The costs saving between 8x3 and 8x2 is about £300..

Would it be strong enough?
What plastic lining would you recommend?

I don't think plastic lining will extend the life of the timbers, may
even shorten it by encouraging condensation and preventing
evaporation. I used real used RR ties for a raised bed garden.
they'll last at least 20 years, most will last twice that long and
it's easy to replace those that rot. Used 10" X 12" RR ties 10' long
cost about $12 each at my local lumber yard... they are not very
pretty but they are very long lasting... they weigh about 250 pounds
each so you'll need a strong helper. Of course there are several
materials one can choose besides lumber... around here many people
build raised beds with ornamental concrete landscaping blocks... they
cost a bit more than lumber but are easy to work with and will last
longer than you.

Thanks for the responses. The amount of soil will be around 32" deep and 16" wide. Should I use 8x3, or reduce bed depth?

I will avoid the lining then, but plan on staking it all in at about 1500 intervals

I was looking at sleepers, but because we need 190m it worked out quite expensive.

Spunky wrote:
Bob F;980961 Wrote:
Spunky wrote:-
First of I'd just like to say hi and give you an idea of the project
I have in the garden.
We are having a flower bed around the perimeter of the garden, raised
about 32" and another in front of this one raised by 16".
There are 180 meters of wood needed if using 8"x3" for this project.
My question is, can I make these using 8x2 inch timber, and lined
with some plastic sheet to prolong the life of the timber.
The costs saving between 8x3 and 8x2 is about £300..

Would it be strong enough?-


That depends on the size. 32" of dirt will exert a lot of pressure
over time.
-
What plastic lining would you recommend?

I appreciate your help and any other advice you have.

Many thanks -



Thanks for the responses. The amount of soil will be around 32" deep
and 16" wide. Should I use 8x3, or reduce bed depth?

I will avoid the lining then, but plan on staking it all in at about
1500 intervals

Again, without know the size of the beds, noone could even guess.