Railway sleeper raised beds

[jojo2910]

Hi,

We have some railway sleepers to use for raised beds. Does anyone have experience of using these? I was planning on using them 1 sleeper high, putting them on grass, having dug it first. Does this sound like a good plan?

Do the sleepers need to be nailed together or will they hold their own weight? I am going to fill them with soil.

Thanks in advance,

Jo

[Kristen]

The only thing I have against railway sleepers is their width. 4' wide raised beds, and sleeps which are 12" wide are going to take 2' per bed - so for each pair of beds you have lost the width of an additional bed.

But they are heavy, and hold the soil back, of course, and will take a long LONG time to rot away!

Watch out if they have been treated - you might want to put a barrier between Sleepers and Soil so the chemicals don't leach into the soil where you are growing your food ...

[Potstubsdustbins]

JoJo,

I argued for the use of some treated timber on another thread but if these are old used sleepers I would be a little careful. In the old days they were soaked for ages in creosote and this could leech into your soil.

I am sure some more knowledgeable person will give you further advice.

Colin

[Dottie]

I have a bed made up of 4, but I have them flat so that they can be walked on. That way I don't lose any space, as all 4 sides is a pathway. Works well, but as has already been mentioned, there is the possibility of chemicals leeching into the soil.