Topic: Raised beds - wood - where from?

[moonbells]

I bought a lot of my wood from a local merchant and managed to scavenge more from building sites and asking nicely.  The good part of buying it is that you can make sure it's what you want - I prefer non-tanalised, as I'm organic and don't fancy the chemicals leaching sideways. On the other hand it means I will have to replace them sooner.  The chaps at the woodyard also do me 15" pegs with sharpened ends (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer!) which I hammer in and then nail to the boards.  And then I fasten the corners together with screwed-on metal plates: stops the wood warping badly!

Gradually getting all of my two half-plots edged, though one half was all designed as raised and the other is gradually ending up that way.  I made another bed last weekend though rain stopped the subsequent digging! (Piccies in the diary: URL below. See also January/February 2005)

moonbells

[Robert_Brenchley]

I like your solar halo pics; they're pretty spectacular when they want to be, and surprisingly common. The emperor Constantine (the one who legalised Christianity) saw one as a young man, rushed off to the local temple of Apollo (as sun god), and for years afterwards minted vast quantities of coin declaring 'The Unconquerable Sun, Companion [of the Emperor]. Later, the Christians around him transmogrified it into a vision of the cross just before a vital battle.

[moonbells]

I like your solar halo pics; they're pretty spectacular when they want to be, and surprisingly common. The emperor Constantine (the one who legalised Christianity) saw one as a young man, rushed off to the local temple of Apollo (as sun god), and for years afterwards minted vast quantities of coin declaring 'The Unconquerable Sun, Companion [of the Emperor]. Later, the Christians around him transmogrified it into a vision of the cross just before a vital battle.

Heh. Didn't know that one. Thanks, Robert!

I love watching for haloes and other sky phenomena. Allotments are a fantastic place for watching, as we're often out in cold, fine weather,  preparing beds or working right up to sunset!

moonbells

[chuff]

Plumbers merchants have copper pipe delivered in long wooden crates, these are ideal to make raised beds with ;D

[fozzylozzy]

We're having the builders in for 3 months in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to make them my new best friends and see what I can scrounge........ ;D 8)

Louisa xx

[Justy]

I have used old pallets and scaffold/gravel boards scrounged from where ever I can.  My local council also has a website called Freecycle which encourages people to post things that they want to give away and you can also post wanted notices too. The only condition is that no money changes hands. This is an international initiative done through Yahoo groups and there are loads of different Freecycle groups around the UK.  This is the link to mine which may help you find one near you.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/malvernhillsfreecycle/

[Stork]

Where I live there's a skip on virtually every street (people are extending rather than moving and handing over 40k in stamp duty).

This morning I came across one stacked high with 12 ft lengths of 4x2 roof strut. I asked the householder nicely and he said help yourself.

I now have enough to build a three-bay compost bin and the framework of a big fruit cage. I reckon to have bought it would have cost about 200 quid and it's as good as new.

So the moral of the story is keep your eyes peeled, ask nicely and get some strong roof bars for the car!

Stork