Topic: Raised beds - wood - where from?

[amanda21]

Where does everyone manage to find wood from to edge their beds?   Do you buy it or scrounge and scavage?  I really don't want to have to buy but I can't seem to see any just laying around waiting for a good home!   :-\  I'm off to Focus and B&Q later - do they keep 'seconds' does anyone know and will they let me have it or sell it for cheaper?

[Larkspur]

All the edges fom my beds are made from scrounged wood. Some are from dismantled fences, some are long branches fron tree management by my local council. I have used obsolete fence posts too. Scaffolding boards are great if you can get them but my daughter in law had to buy hers.
Dont discount the discarded branches mentioned above. They are often up to ten feet long and can be stacked two or thee high, held in place by strong pegs. They look very attractive.
Be carefull of wooden sleepers they are no longer recommended because of the chemicals they may contain. Hope that helps :)

[windygale]

hi, try ringing and asking at your local recycling center, the big building firms, skip hires firms, when they dismantle homes/buildings, that's what i did and i was able to  make a 8ft x 6ft shed and a 8ft x 6 ft greenhouse like that from bits and pieces all for £20.00
so keep your eyes open, and ask the builders, even ask when the big supermarkets have a refit, loads gets changed & replaced, ask the fitters,

ok hope this helps,
windy

[MrsKP]

we've got a building site opposite work and i batted my eyelids at the workies for their pallets but then looking more closely, they were HUGE, and didn't think i'd get them in the car.

we went on a mission this morning and our local tile suppliers had a whole heap of smaller pallets piled up outside and told me i could take all but three.  i'd have needed a truck to take them all, but took four and intend to go back.

we acquired a pine divan base from a mate in the week, which was handily constructed in two separate sections so the slats are coming off the bottom and replaced on the sides and ends and where there are gaps, the pallet wood is going.  i'm thinking of lining the insides of the frame with a liner and perhaps some bubble wrap as i've got masses of the stuff.  don't know if that's being a bit OTT though, but i really don't know where these pallets have been.

the birdies will be happy though as there were vast amounts of worms in the turned over clods.

that will give me approx an 9' x 3' bed and i'd like a similar size one eventually.  i've nearly mangled myself just now digging over the clay plot that the frame will rest on as there's nearly a foot slope running from one side of the garden to the other. 

naturally after two fabulous days weather in glasgow, we've had constant rain and wind today so i'm knackered, aching and soaked,  but feeling very pleased with myself. 

 ;D

[kenkew]

Short of wood? Don't go to the expense of buying any. Create a raised bed by piling up the soil and wacking the sides to make them firm. Just as good, if not better than wood as you don't have a place for slugs to hide.

[joji]

We get a regular supply of pallets given to us.

We have built 3 compost bins and aim to build raised bed too. :)

[dirtyfingernails]

If like me you're impatient and want to get your beds made quickly get old scaffolding boards from a local firm. I work full time and don't drive so don't have time for rummaging in skips etc, plus have no way to transport the wood. I contacted a local firm out of the yellow pages which luckily is next door to our lottie - he sold me old boards for £1 a go and newish ones for £4. The whole lot cost me £100 which will make about 16 13ft x 4ft beds, and I'm told that they should last 7-10 years (so that's £10 a year I reasoned, not bad!). They also delivered for free (Well actually they chucked the boards over the wall!)

am going to try and make my first one tomorrow - can't wait to get going

[glow777]

Mine are mainly made out of a heavy duty plastic found down the center of rolls of carpet and shrink wrap bags.



As I can only get about 3 of these rolls a week I originally made mine from pallet wood and I am slowly converting them to plastic. You should be able to get all the wood for free if you are not to embarrassed to ask people. Try factories or suppermarkets. You will need a lot more than you think!

If people are trimming hedges you can make some nice looking raised bed edging by weaving the branches

[Roy Bham UK]

I jumped in quick when I heard my daughter say she was having a new wooden garage door and fascia boards fitted, the old boards were at least 9" deep and come in very handy. ;D

[amphibian]

I gather roofing/celing joists from demolition/building sites. I haven't got much yet, but I'll get there.

I have no transport so I make many trips on foot.

[amanda21]

Thanks guys for your brilliant ideas.  I like the carpet rolls and my BIL is a carpet fitter so will be having a word....

My OH works for a building contractor but he's stuck in an office although he did say that a lot of the pallets they use are returnable so are difficult to get sometimes.

Cheers
 :)

[agapanthus]

Try double-glazing companies. They usually have big skips where they dump waste from their jobs. Got loads of wooden soffit and fascia boards. Some people really don't mind helping :D

[supersprout]

This is a great wood/edge sourcing thread you started!
I'm with kenkew, and don't permanently edge my beds. This is a carefully considered decision  ;)
a) no slug havens
b) flexibility - changing the seasonal height of the bed e.g. tilt the whole bed surface to face south, raise some beds higher than others, mound up or trench within the beds, depending on the crop requirement
c) changing bed widths or orientation - this already happened, and I decided to widen my paths a little and reduce my bed width to 1m, not 1.25m, for this year
c) what DIY skills I have are based on string technique, not nails
d) laziness  :o  :-[

My paths are all heavily mulched to keep the weeds down, so that takes care of weeds creeping into the bed. BUT I will be putting plenty more stuff on my paths to keep a rising balance so the edges don't lose too much moisture - straw this year, if I can get some free.

[delboy]

You can cut the rolls from the carpets and invert them in the ground and fill with earth as brill parsnip containers. They do need a bit of watering more than the beds though.

[Greenfingers Jo]

Just bought some fence post 5 foot 6  (half rounds) from the farmers Co op for £1.09 each. Will be getting mroe for making raised beds with.
Countrywide were v expensive, I went to Carmarthen and Pumpsaint Farmers.
Might be something similar near you?

[peterpiper]

if you have a nearby scaffolding firm they may have surplus boards as they are unable to use any that contavene health /safety.

go on the scrounge its part of the fun.
i have seen beds made from the plastic boards that you see when road repairs are under way. sometimes one or two get left behind.
happy hunting/
peterpiper

[MikeB]

I used wooden gravel boards as can be seen in the picture,  this is their sixth year, so they have lasted reasonably well.

[katynewbie]

;D

Mike that looks great!!
WARNING...dumb question alert!!

So, you have your gravel boards/scaff planks or whatever, and the soil holds one side of it vertical, do you just hammer in short bits of wood along the other side every now and then to keep it that way? Is there a "proper" way to do it?

 ???

[MikeB]

Yes, although my bits of wood are on the inside and screwed to the plank, I think it looks neater.

[katynewbie]

;D

Thanks Mike, am a DIY idiot, so had not thought of that!! Thanks!!