Utilising pallets

[HeyWayne]

How lucky am I?

Speaking to our warehouse manager yesterday and he has said I can have as many pallets and bearers as I like. All I need to get hold of is some chicken wire which isn't too expensive from what I've seen.

Now, I have seen the plans for using pallets to make cold frames and compost bins, but has anyone got any tips on fence posts?

The reason I ask, is that our allotment apparently has a problem with rabbits, and in order for me to maximise my chances of success, I'd like to keep the bl**ders off my plot.

The timber from the pallets and bearers are obviously designed for industrial use and not to last for a lifetime. Should I therefore treat it before putting it into the ground, and if so, with what?

I've got a fair idea of what I'm going to do, but just looking for reassurance really.

Many ta's

[buttercup]

hey haywayne!
ive recently got a load of pallets too,
im planning to make a couple of cold frames and some raised beds!
so far the biggest problem is dismanteling the pallets , once we did
that we realised that the wood definatly need something before it goes in the ground.
it was rough and we are thinking sanding it down, but dont know what to treat it with. we are trying to be as organic as possible so are very worried about chemicals bleeding out into the soil.
i will have a search to see what can find out!
cheers buttercup x x

[sewer rat]

Hi HeyWayne & Buttercup.
Good idea to treat your wood before you stick it in the ground. The easiest way is to buy a tin of wood preservative or creosote substitute, and just dip the ends in that, leve it to dry off and Bob is your father's brother.
Buttercup - don't bother sanding them down -unless you have hours and hours to spare !!

[snohare]

A cheap'n'cheerful bodge I've used for fence posts is to dig a slightly larger than neccesary hole for them, drop 'em in, then tamp down chockstones hard into the hole with a sledgehammer or pinchbar. Doesn't stop rotting, but it slows it down (presumably by helping keep water away from the post), which is all you expect anyway with cheapo pine as usually found in pallets. If you are really lucky you have larch (very hairy wood, tiny irritating splinters like glass fibre) and it will last forever anyway. There is a thread in page 2 of "Allotment Advice" called "Raised Beds" by Pete10, which goes into the subject of wood treatment toxicity and says Screwfix do fence paint that is non-toxic.
And of course, for rabbit proof netting, you want to dig it into the ground anyway, and have as many stones as possible buried at the fence line anyway. A rabbit will stop digging at the second stone it meets.
If you find your pallets have barbed nails, I would say don't even think of taking them apart. With nails like that they are almost impossible to dismantle without breaking the boards,and the amount of effort required is stupendous. I am pretty much a masochist compared to most folk ("thrawn" is another word ) but even I decided that job was too much of a good thing. Even with a pretty big wrecking bar...good luck.
Smooth nails....happy days, a very pallet-able outcome to you !

[HeyWayne]

Thanks for the tips sewer rat and snohare, pretty much confirmed what I thought. I used the Screwfix stuff in the garden, and it's not bad. I've had some more good news - I can even get the pallets et al delivered, it pays to be nice to your warehouse manager you see!

One question snohare, what are chockstones?

Regarding raised beds as buttercup mentioned - do they have to be "raised". You see, I was thinking of just using the boards to tidy things up a bit, seperate the beds more distinctly, that kind of thing.

[pigletwillie]

If you use the timber to make neat edges and tidy up, you will find over time that they will become raised beds as you add manure and compost to the beds. An added bonus is that as you will (hopefully) not walk on the beds much, they become "no dig" as well.

Happy days.

[HeyWayne]

Guess what I'm doing next weekend then....

Weather permitting of course!

That, and starting on my fence. Oh, after I've stayed at some friends for the weekend as my wife has so kindly reminded me!

Oh, poo!