Raised BedsRaised BedsCan anyone suggest the cheapest way of making raised beds please?
Hi Pecker, I made mine out of pallets and free wood, from work. You can get free pallets from back doors of DIY shops, or industrial estates, or any shops that have their goods delivered on pallets, or building sites, but don't get blue pallets, ask first, someone will be glad to get rid of them.
I cut 2 pallets in half, there was an odd amount of slats so I cut the centre slat out which gave me 4 equal halves. I stood them up on end, the slats facing inwards, making a box, and fastened them together with small pieces of wood nailed across the corners. Then I did the same with 4 more pallets and joined them together to form a long bed with 3 compartments. You could leave the centre pieces out if you want bigger beds. You need to line the insides with flat sheets of thin wood to stop the compost falling out between the slats, or look for some pallets with solid boards on top, even better. With mine I put some upright posts at each end and in the middle, and some cross bars along the length, and draped a plastic sheet over like a tent, to keep the seedlings protected untill they were big enough. The beds are quite deep but you only need to put in enough compost for what you are growing. I filled 2 of them for spuds. Also if you put runner beans in them you can stand on the sides to reach up to pick them. This is the cheapest way I know, basically it cost me nowt. Ilona
Also keep an eye out for anyone having building work done to their house for any skips - it is polite to ask before taking, and usually the owner or builder are only too willing to let you have decent pieces (especially the roofing joists - they tend to throw long pieces away which seems ludicrous but I suppose if its too short for the roof ... Also, a 1 foot length might not seem useful, but 10 lots of 1 foot lengths = 10 feet ).
You might even pick up some other useful bits & bobs as well (I got a wheelbarrow that had gone past its best but is now being used as a plant pot , and anyone having a new bathroom fitted .... ) I haven't explored this yet, but some people on the allotment get scaffold planks from a local company - they'll even deliver it but you might be asked to pay something.
I was given a load of scaffolding boards by a friend of mine who was working on a building site and they were chucking a load.
I simply took the metal bands off the ends of the boards, screwed four together using two of the long boards and two short boards to make a rectangle raised bed. Painted it with wood preserver. I have four huge raised beds for the cost of some screws (well, actually 'borrowed' them from hubby's shed) and a lick of paint. http://www.freshstartforhens.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Helping to give ex-battery hens a fresh start! http://thevintagebelles.blogspot.co.uk/ If anyone is having any work done to their house or factory near you, ask the site manager if you can have first refusal on the scrap or waste but you will have to take it away yourself.
I got a load of half-logs from work while they were building because they came in between the steels, all 10ft long and shaved flat on either side, but dead chunky and good for a base. I also got a lot of 3-3.5 foot pieces of 3inch by 3inch wood, which I just used as it was, stacked up for the end edges of the beds, and these can be built up as I build up the earth/compost stuff in the beds. I also got some chipboard that was packed around machinery that being brought in, so I put some it round the compost heap, and some of will make a table top. Have a look in skips for wood, or if any local pubs are being refurbished, or if you're friendly with the local landlord or landlady in my case, when she was having work done, I got some scaffold planks and some poles and fittings to make a raised strawberry bed. Have a look around your area for people having fences replaced, some of the picket style ones can be re-used. If you aren't fussy about what they look like when they're made, almost anything can be used. You could use stone, slate, paving slabs etc. Also, you can make raised earth beds, by making 2 templates out of chipboard - oops, I meant plywood, one smaller than the other, then fill in layers with heavy clay subsoil and ram it down as you go ( up to about 6 inches), take out the templates after about an hour or two, then it acts when it's finished like concrete. to err is human..to moo, bovine...
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