tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post2508649470545089919..comments2024-03-26T17:53:49.471+00:00Comments on Mark's Veg Plot: Hardware upgrade requiredMark Willishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04558305122821209520noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-15981630603291039742015-01-14T20:13:58.575+00:002015-01-14T20:13:58.575+00:00I'd say you got your money out of them Mark. W...I'd say you got your money out of them Mark. While cedar appealled to me i went with untreated pine which I suppose i will get 5 years out of. Will watch with interest what you do next.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490964982321159910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-17376450765532546172015-01-14T11:04:04.126+00:002015-01-14T11:04:04.126+00:00As a point of interest, I assisted a UK school pro...As a point of interest, I assisted a UK school project that had previously bought railway sleepers to make raised beds. However under the vegetable growing scheme they were now participating in, they were not permitted to use them for edible plants. Ultimately they chose to obtain new, untreated sleepers for these beds. Similarly, in last year's Beechgrove Garden series, the gardener Chris Beardshaw made a point of lining all the beds made of preserved wood in the garden he designed for a family to grow food.Spade and Daggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447641240079673493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-50861447661961032702015-01-13T23:28:03.875+00:002015-01-13T23:28:03.875+00:00Six Woodblocx beds would look superb. Maybe you co...Six Woodblocx beds would look superb. Maybe you could gradually build up to it.Sue Garretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164518448098182276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-33289330241858112952015-01-13T19:50:20.674+00:002015-01-13T19:50:20.674+00:00I like that last statement best! (well preserved)....I like that last statement best! (well preserved). Thanks for your detailed response.Mark Willishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04558305122821209520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-45474260306782430342015-01-13T19:45:03.439+00:002015-01-13T19:45:03.439+00:00Hi Mark, Yours look like my original ones which we...Hi Mark, Yours look like my original ones which were 1 inch wide x 6 inch deep and 12 ft long in old money.<br />When I replaced them in about 2009 I went for something a bit more substantial and which would cope with more depth of soil. <br />Still a standard length of 3.6 metres (just under 12 ft) but 5 cm wide (2 inches) and 25 cm deep (10 inches) . I got the timber merchant to cut some of the boards into 3 equal 1.2 metre ( 4 ft) sections to form the ends, and some others into a 1 to 2 proportion for some smaller 1.2 x 2.4 beds which fitted in with my garden plan and meant I made use of every bit of wood.Being that much heavier they are virtually self supporting once fixed together.I just used nails but you'd probably need two angle brackets for each corner.I did also hammer some short 2" by 2" wooden pegs inside the corners after I'd fixed the planks to each other to help counter frost heave etc. <br />I'd checked out Travis Perkins but they didn't cut planks to size and were pricey, whereas the local firm of timber merchants half a mile from them was very helpful and clearly used to gardeners wanting materials for raised beds and machine sawed any that needed cutting for free.<br />If you click on the "Garden" top tab on my blog and scroll through the posts you'll see them in all their glory.Top and bottom tiers each with three beds.They took a bit of filling with extra soil and I used them all for vegetable growing before I got the allotment in 2012.<br />For a time the older planks were used as edging boards over at the plot but now are mainly walking/measuring boards!<br />I think that most of us growers in the UK use tanalised timber and we're all fairly well preserved.David Shinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01349275095909121230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-57353950826938827152015-01-13T18:37:40.650+00:002015-01-13T18:37:40.650+00:00That last bed sure is a beauty! But your are righ...That last bed sure is a beauty! But your are right, the cost is very steep.<br /><br />For me, the cheapest option, which still gives me reasonably thick sides (thicker = longer lasting) is using untreated pine boards that are 6" wide x 2" thick. The way boards are measured in North America is very strange, however, as the stated thickness and width is not what the actual measurements are - a 2" thick board is closer to 1.5" thick and the 6" width is actually more like 5.25" (the lengths, however, are precise).<br /><br />The cost isn't bad at about at $5 for an 8' plank. Since I make my beds 2 boards high (for a height of about 11"), that's only $30 for an 8' x 4' bed (about £16). Ideally, I would love to make the beds out of cedar - it would last a lot longer. But it is also 3x as expensive, so I decided to go the cheaper route.<br /><br />So far my oldest beds are going on 4 years (built in the fall of 2011) and they are still going strong. If I can get another 2 or 3 years from them, I'll be more than happy.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-90812126202548262592015-01-13T15:01:36.797+00:002015-01-13T15:01:36.797+00:00Scaffold boards are apparently advertised in the s...Scaffold boards are apparently advertised in the small ads of local newspapers (and probably online) and are much used on allotments to make beds (although not by me). Metal stays (from builders merchants I believe) make better pegs than wooden ones (which rot very quickly) for supporting the sides.<br />I have used pallet wood to make small flower beds in my garden, it's cheap (often free) but it is quite a task to dissemble them, it's fairly flimsy, rough wood of assorted sizes, and they tend to rot quickly even when treated with preservative.<br />Preserved wood is always a tricky issue, because of some of the chemicals used, and it is often recommended that for food growing the inner surfaces of the wood are lined with polythene (which is not without its' own chemicals as it degrades). Obviously everyone can make their own choice on that one!Spade and Daggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447641240079673493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-30556363277586792552015-01-13T12:50:59.411+00:002015-01-13T12:50:59.411+00:00Mao I recommend salvaging free pallets? I have use...Mao I recommend salvaging free pallets? I have used pallet wood for years in the garden . You can get quite creative and puzzle them together. Check out pinterest for ideas. Great way to use up wood that otherwise becomes rubbish. I get mine from a storage unit place. But often see then around everywhere. Helenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14890017486355175824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-43231211864141398812015-01-13T12:30:46.478+00:002015-01-13T12:30:46.478+00:00I remember my dilemma about what to use for the si...I remember my dilemma about what to use for the sides of my raised beds when I was putting them in. Everything that lasts is so expensive. I ended up with cedar as I didn't want to replace it often. I figured the additional cost might be the same as the additional time I get out of them. Though the longest-cheapest would probably be concrete blocks. I decided against them because they get so hot in the summer plus I'm not in love with the look. Daphne Gouldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305049560953735881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-62300800177603538382015-01-13T12:13:30.844+00:002015-01-13T12:13:30.844+00:00Mark we used & when I say we Mike actually bui...Mark we used & when I say we Mike actually built them for me! Decking boards which were extremely reasonable. I can't remember if they were pre treated or not but they are still looking strong & healthy. They are quite possible 5 years old. Hope that helps. Also Mike knows a couple of people with scaffolding business & they very rarely get rid of planks it seems. Jo@awholeplotoflovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03525039817338877634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840827850297141825.post-73674636535282563412015-01-13T12:12:35.924+00:002015-01-13T12:12:35.924+00:00I was going to ask if it would be more economical ...I was going to ask if it would be more economical to use uPVC such as Link a Bord as it would last longer than wood, but you answered my question when I got to the price you paid for four raised beds. Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.com