Railway Sleepers?

[CarolineW]

We've just moved house, and the garden is terraced with raised beds made out of old railway sleepers. On sunny days something is seeping out of some of them - creosote perhaps? I am concerned as to whether this is going to harm the vegetables that I grow in these beds? If it would, is there anything I can do about it, or do I have to re-do the beds from scratch, removing the sleepers? If the plants won't be harmed/harmful, is there anything I can do which will stop the creosote (if that's what it is) from seeping out and getting onto my daughter's hands and clothes?

My other concern is the soil. It seems to be a mix of stones, glass, and slightly strange looking top soil - but none of it is sharp, suggesting that perhaps it is milled. I had assumed that it was just a cheap, poor quality soil which I should remove and replace with good quality soil/compost/vermiculite mix. However, my mother-in-law commented that it might be better quality than it looks. Is there any way that I can check this?

I missed the growing season last year (we'd just moved - a different house - and the garden was a wreck, had to be constructed from scratch), and really don't want to miss it again this year if I can avoid it - although I hope we won't move yet again after only one year!! So I want to get planting as soon as possible, if it's practical to do so.

I'm very grateful for any advice you may be able to give me.

Caroline

[pigletwillie]

The stuff seeping out of your sleepers sounds like creosote, tar or similar. Its what they werre steeped in to treat them. On hot days it tends to bleed out more.

I would line the inside of the sleepers with builders plastic to prevent contact with the soil rather than replace (although replacing would be the ideal) and then your crops would not be in contact with contaminated soil. The soil close to the sleepers can be replaced to remove any risks.

Your soil sounds like screened rubble mixed with topsoil. On its own it might not be the best growing medium but can be improved by adding compost or manure to improve its fertility. To see how good it is you can but grow something and see how well it does. Adding any organic matter will help it no matter what.

Go grow and see what it brings.

[nick the grief]

Piglet is spot on with his advise, sleepers are pickled in Creosote and each one holds about 10 gallons I think it is!! It's quite nasty stuff and you can't buy it anymore only with a licence I think. The trouble is they are so good for this job. Replacing them would be the best way but it will be expensive so I'd line for now and then do a terrace/bed at a time start at the far end and use a nice block or brick and by the time you get to the front of your garden, your bricky skills will be so much better you can have them in full view.

As to your soil, contact the local council and see if they sell the greenwaste compost and if they do get a load and dig this in to the beds, it will help hold onto moisture and improve the soil ( and it will give you a deeper soil as well) then start making your own compost and add this every year and it will soon get better.

Shame you live in South London as I want some sleepers for my shed to stand on

[CarolineW]

Thanks

Thanks, Piglet and Nick,
I'll follow your advice, line the top beds, mix in some compost and get planting. I'll aim to replace the sleepers one bed at a time, and sort the soil at the same time.

Incidentally, until such a time as I've replace them all, does it make any sense to paint the outsides of the sleepers with emulsion to stop the gook from getting all over my daughter, or is it just a waste of time?

What a pity we don't live nearer to each other, Nick! At least you've made me realise that there might be others who would like them, and so they could be recycled as I replace them.

[noidea]

You could always try offering the railway sleepers on a local freecycle as you replace them. There are always people asking for them on our local one.

Welcome by the way! Everyone is lovely and helpful on here!

C

[Peter]

Incidentally, until such a time as I've replace them all, does it make any sense to paint the outsides of the sleepers with emulsion to stop the gook from getting all over my daughter, or is it just a waste of time?

Sorry to say you would be wasting your time doing that. It will just keep on seeping through. It is more of a risk getting on her or via tiny hands into her than it is liable to be via any veg grown.

You can get new untreated sleepers from at least one national supplier.

The quantity seeping out is likely to be small and is in fact most likely to be on the surfaces exposed to the sun, rather than deeper down under the soil. I have a small bed made of sleepers and the seepage I get is on the top, which is a bugger, cos guess what the best seat on the plot is?
The advice on lining the inside of the beds is very sound, the only cure for the surface seepage is to find some sort of acceptable material to absorb it, but that you can remove and dsipose of. That cuts out and dusts or pourable material (like the police use on roads after accidents).

Try some old carpet, upside down stapled onto the wood, it can be removed and replaced when "tired" and should prevent fouling unless it is p!$$ing out.

[Flummery]

A week or so ago, someone asked a similar question on Garneners' Question Time. Chris Beardshaw reckons in his yoof, he was asked to try and scorch the surplus tarry substances off some sleepers in a garden centre where he worked. Next morning there was nothing but ash. The sleepers contained so much tar that they continued with a slow burn all night and disappeared! They are so soaked in the stuff that you can't get rid of it.

[nick the grief]

Theres a website for everything!!

http://www.railwaysleeper.com/railwa...treatments.htm

[Peter]

Theres a website for everything!!

http://www.railwaysleeper.com/railwa...treatments.htm

Yup, they are the lot who can do new untreated sleepers.

[CarolineW]

Thanks for your input, folks. We've dug out and lined half of the beds now, and plan to work on the other half as soon as we can. We're going to fascia some with willow screening and see how that looks/works. Any other ideas? We thought of marine ply, but it really wouldn't look good. Alternatively decking, but that's loads of work and expensive, but maybe we'll end up having to do that? Removing the sleepers, which was my preference, isn't an option, really. I've had 2 landscape gardeners in to look at it, and they both said it would be a major job, as they're actually acting as retainers, as our garden is below street level. In addition, they have metal interiors, and would need a chain saw to get through them. The cost would be astronomic, and we don't have that kind of money available.