Raised bed help please

[Bramble_killer]

Right, we have some 8x2 planks of wood being delivered to create 7 raised beds of 1.2mx3.6m.

Lovely husband wants to know how we get it all stuck together? Fence posts and nails? Any specific type?

Help

[oldie]

Most timber/wood yards will sell you ready made 50mmx50mmx300mm stakes. I use screws rather than nails, drill a pilot hole first and it is a doddle. Advantage is that screws can be removed if ever necessary.

[Bramble_killer]

we have clay soil, do they have fence posts with a sharp pointy end or will we have to buy a sledgehammer type thing?

(can you tell I'm really good at DIY?) lol

[oldie]

They are pointed, designed for the job but you will need something like a club hammer to knock them in. I make a hole with a crowbar and drive them into that. Put a thick piece of wood over the stake to hit- don't hit direct on the stake.

[sweetiepea]

I used galvanised angle brackets on the inside corners and screwed them together. Did the job for me (I didn't have any burly blokes at hand to drive in stakes!!)

[Two_Sheds]

I just wanted to say, you really do need corner posts. Our raised beds are straining outwards under the weight of soil: they won't last much longer

[Sylvan]

Grumpy used coach bolts, but ours are 24" high, so there's quite a weight of soil pushing on them.
We found we needed posts halfway down the beds as well. The first one was bowing out dramatically in the middle, till they dismantled it and started again.

[TonyF]

I just wanted to say, you really do need corner posts. Our raised beds are straining outwards under the weight of soil: they won't last much longer

I'me just rebuildng mine because I was unhappy with the overall design. Couple of bits of advice based on years of using them - after building them etc etc.

Make sure that you put some sort of preservative on them. I know there will be people who will tell you that the preservative will poison everything you eat but that's bummocks. The wood will rot because the soil will continually/frequently be watered and therefore will conduct the water to the the wood and you'll be surprised now quickly that will happen.

And put the corner posts on the outside of the boxes, even tho it means that you loose a couple of inches on the length. One of the weak spots of any bed with internal corner posts is that the corner posts conduct the water and give another source of wood rot, meaning the beds will rot off quicker.

And if you really want all the bells and whistles, if you have the money, time and patience. line the box (without the corner posts) with black plastic, therefore it protects the wood even more.

I'm using all my 'new design' across the potager now, tried it as an experiment with two half-metre square boxes for my cucumbers last year and they worked a treat.

This is the all bells and whistles version but in the long run, it really saves both time and money.

I've tried to attach a rough pic of what my design looks like but can't work out how to do it, if you send me a pm with your email address I'll send it to you.

[Pies]

I just wanted to say, you really do need corner posts. Our raised beds are straining outwards under the weight of soil: they won't last much longer

you might well need corner posts but do they need staking down,once full of soil they are going nowhere.I just used 3" coach bolts to hold my scaffold boards togerther

[Bramble_killer]

thank you everyone!!

Tony, I sent you a PM. OH is looking into some pointed fence posts and he's going with the galvanised nails option I think.

We have got tanalised planks, it's taken us 2.5 years to get to this stage, I don't want the wood to rot
before we get it into the ground

Now I better ring some companies to see if they sell them.

[VirginVegGrower]

Either buy or make 2' stakes out of 2"x1" timber and knock into ground at regular intervals and screw your boards to them. Ours are rock solid.

[falkon]

I usually assemble the complete raised bed first, with either 4 or 6 poles. 6 poles are required for beds over 1.5 meter, the two extra poles at the center gives stablilty and the planks wont move outward.
I then use this tool to make holes

[Parsleythelion]

I recently knocked one up for the current Mrs P, my first proper attempt at woodwork, I used decking boards, deckinh screws and 2x1 for corners and middle posts to give it a bit of strength. I mitred all the joints and overlapped the decking on the opposing sides. I was really pleased with my efforts and now want to make everything....luckily the current Mrs P has a list of things she wants me to build.

[salilah]

A recommendation for Timberlok screws for fixing the wood together (or into posts, which we used)
they are not cheap, but go in easily and are very very solid!
S

[EddieJ]

Mine, or rather the ones that I've made at the Mum-in-Laws, were constructed from 200mm x 47mm pressure treated timber bought in 5,400mm lengths and cut to suit. 47mm x 47mm pressure treated timber bought in 4,800mm lengths, then cut and pointed by me were used for pegs. The pegs were cut to approx 436mm long and secured at 600mm centres. Holes were made using a crow bar, then the pegs were knocked in using a 14lb sledge hammer. The pegs were then clamped and screwed with two in number 80mm 'Ulti-Mate' wood screws, then a back weather was cut on each peg. All beds were set out using a Quante laser level for accuracy.
The boards and pegs were also first coated with two coats of a black water proofing paint. This was a pointless exercise though, as most of the work was carried out in crap weather, and it now needs doing again!
The beds are 1,200mm wide and the longest are 5,400mm long. The short 1,200mm x 1,800mm and 1,200mm x 2,700mm beds have proved to be the most useful though.

Taken yesterday.



Taken last year, after I had almost finished making them.






Edit.... Keep any corner pegs in by approx 75mm -100mm, as this then allows for additional support post to be added if you want netting etc.