raised beds from pallets

[richkw]

13' scaffold boards are available brand new from a builders merchant for around £15 and are perfect for raised beds. Alternatively, chat up someone on a local building site and see if they've got any old ones that you might be able to 'reclaim'. Mine cost me a fiver each, delivered.

I found pallet timber far too variable in quality to be of any economic use.

[Jimmy]

I found pallet timber far too variable in quality to be of any economic use.

Works for me !

[Suky]

Keep your eyes open for the pallets that come under new baths, longer length, more usable timber. Usually about 7ft long. I live next door to a small plumbers merchant and they quite happily carry some round for me whenever I need some.

[broadway]

Works for me !

Jimmy,

You have a pallet fetish, no offense meant!!

I've used reclaimed scaffold boards for my raised beds but will attempt to use pallets for other projects as I feel its both challenging and rewarding.

I've another couple of ideas that I'll post pics of later, put them on your list Jim


Updated as follows :-

Pic1 - Raised bed/trough, the pic is a bit of a mess as I tried to removed advertising pricing etc.

Pic2 - Growbag frame/s, may need additional timber?

[Jimmy]

Jimmy,
You have a pallet fetish, no offense meant!!

Well I have a number of fetishes, most of which aren't appropriate for a gardening forum.
I don't particularly have a pallet fetish. What I do have is a fetish about my wallet seeing the light of day.

I do like your grow frames, brilliant for a small garden with limited space,
Any construction details ?

Might be a bit fiddly to construct.

Jimmy

[broadway]

I do like your grow frames, brilliant for a small garden with limited space,
Any construction details ?

Might be a bit fiddly to construct.

Jimmy

I'll read the article properly over the weekend and post details accordingly

[cheekey_munkey]

First time poster here but long term lurker ....

Just reading all your posts and looking at your very ingenious suggestions for raised beds.

I built my own raised beds from decking boards, Ill try and post some pics as and when I get out into the garden @ the weekend.

I pick them up from B&Q out of season when they are a little cheaper but there size cuts down on the amount of cuts needed and for higher beds you can stack them however high you want.

They also give quite an attractive finish with a flat side and a ribbed side.

Well I think they do anyway !

[Jimmy]

when they are a little cheaper!

Would that contravene rule No 1 (fetish No 1) ?

With my pricing system a little cheaper would be the same price as would a little dearer.
As in
£0.00 * -n% = £0.00
or
£0.00 * +n% = £0.00

All this talk or inferences to negative equity causes my wallet to have major convulsions.
I had to spend quite a while comforting it and assuring it all was OK and it's friendly moths would not be escaping!

Jimmy aka (Scrooge)

[Jimmy]

My neighbour up the street was having an extension fitted to their house.
On top of the builders skip was a nice pallet.
I ask the builder if I could have it, and any more he might have. I said I recycled them into compost bins etc.
Got home from work and there were four pallets of various quality outside my house.
He had delvered them for the all inclusive price of (calm down wallet) ... £0.00
Might start on a Chicken coop.

Jimmy

[Jimmy]

I think this topic is now getting very sad but I will continue, there may be others out there of a similar nature....

Continuing with my love of recycling pallets I have been considering other ways to dismantle them.

I considered an old car scissor jack might do the trick of prising them appart. But not having one meant I might have to buy one , spit spit.

So instead a made an expensive purchase of a nut and bolt from the local hardware shop. 50p it cost. The shopkeeper asked if I wanted washers but just in case he charged I refused. I wish I had got some.
The bolt is about 1cm diameter and 6cm long, see picture.
I cut a piece of old steel tubing to the same length.

I fit the apparatus between the planks and turn the nut which causes the planks to be forced appart. Judisious use of a large G clamp prevents the plank on one side from moving so only one plank gets the strain. Once the plank is raised remove the apparatus and knock it back. Hopefully then you can get a claw under the nail heads.

The pallat I tested it on even had the dreaded "ringshank" nails and it handled them OK.

[Snadger]

My neighbour up the street was having an extension fitted to their house.
On top of the builders skip was a nice pallet.
I ask the builder if I could have it, and any more he might have. I said I recycled them into compost bins etc.
Got home from work and there were four pallets of various quality outside my house.
He had delvered them for the all inclusive price of (calm down wallet) ... £0.00
Might start on a Chicken coop.

Jimmy

Man of my own heart!

[dave_norm_smith]

Hi

I'm mid way through constructing my own raised beds. I managed to blag 10 of the 7 foot versions from work. However after losing the will to live over lifting and knocking down I chose the brute force and ignorance approach. Sharp bolster and lump hammmer.

By the second pallet I could dismantle a whole pallet in 7 mins. Place bolster in gap and crack it until the two pieces come apart, slicing through the nails. Admittedly not as neat as the other approach but a damn site quicker.

Stuart- loved the garden. Love Bok cho but can't get the wife interested enough in it!

Dave

[Jimmy]

I must admit my way is dam fiddly and time consuming, but you do get the nails.

But all in, chopping of the nails is probably the best way.

How narrow is your bolster ?

[dave_norm_smith]

Hi Jimmy

Its maybe 3 1/2'' wide, nother unusal, just an average brick bolster. I think I had lost maybe two ends out of all the planks but I could have lost that using any method I guess. I don't know about you but I find most of the nails are too badly rusted to use again and snap.

I'll take some pictures when I have finished and post them as I have done all this in the front garden. We only ever passed by it anyway as the living room is at the rear so made sense to turn it over to veg.

Actually had a lady pop by yesterday from the top of the road with some spare potatoes seed and telling the wife how we had inspired her and her husband to start a veg patch. I was chuffed to bits!

Dave

[Jimmy]

Hello all

I wondered if anyone followed my tip on pallets.
Some piccys would be nice, of growing in progress.

Thanks
Jimmy