Raised Bed using Sleepers

[angles15]

Hi all,

I am planning to run a raised bed down each side of my garden backing onto the fencing. On one side it will be 9.60m long and on the other side it will be 12.0m long. I am building it 2 sleepers high with them on their side. The sleeper dimensions are 2.4m x 200m x 100m
2 questions:

1. What is the best base to put the bottom sleeper on and will i need to sink it into the ground?
2. What is it best to hold the 2 sleepers together with along the lengths

Cheers

 

[Thermo]

the sleepers can simply rest on comapcted earth. they can be joined together using either timberlock sleeper fixings, or they can be sekw scred at the back and into the ends as they laid. Make sure you lay them so they overlap each join. Worth putting some 2 inch square pegs to the rear and screing them to the sleepers.
Can look nice with a decking board on top as a capping.

Make sure you have some protection against the fencing if the beds are coming higher than the bottom of the fence. concrete gravel boards are a good cheap way of doing this and they are hidden by view from the soil.

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• Thermo
• 17 Jun 2008
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• Thermo
• 17 Jun 2008
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a couple we made earlier!

 

[angles15]

Thanks for that but can i just check a couple of things?

1. With Timberlok screws do i screw them from the top sleeper into the bottom, if so how big to they need to be - sleeper 200mm?

2. With the pegs how big do they need to be, how deep and where would i get some from?

Thanks again

 

[Thermo]

you can get timber lok screws which are 10" long, but to be honest on a simple raised bed, 100mm screws would be fine and cheaper.

The pegs we use are normally about 600mm long and we knock them in to give afirm fixing to the sleepers. you can pick them up from fencing suppliers, or simply make your own from some 2 x 2 pressure treated timber.

what sort of sleepers are you using?

 

[angles15]

I am using new softwood sleepers for a nice clean edge. I will be using a weed membrane on the bottom of the bed and to cover part of the fence so that the soil will not be touching the fence.

Your photos look great, i am not sure mine will be of that standard but i will have a go.

 

[Thermo]

you will need more than membrane against the fence. the weight of the soil will push it out of shape

 

[angles15]

I am not planning to build them too high! But any suggestions as to what i could put there instead of timber as the expense is mounting up?

I have included some photos of the area in question.

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• angles15
• 13 Oct 2009
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• angles15
• 13 Oct 2009
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• angles15
• 13 Oct 2009
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[Thermo]

6 foot concrete gravel boards, theyre only about a £5 each. thell take the weight and protect the panels, otherwise it will rot through them in no time.