What is a raised bed?
Raised beds are the ideal solution for anyone wanting to grow a variety of plants and can be used to garden intensively in a small space. Essentially, they are growing beds that are built up, above ground level, and which are enclosed by a variety of materials including timber, concrete or rock.
Benefits of raised bed gardening
- Raised beds reduce the need to bend which allows the elderly, less mobile gardeners, or anyone with back problems greater accessibility to continue gardening.
- Raised beds can be built on hard ground, such as a patio or balcony area, so that gardeners without a traditional outside space can grow flowers and raise vegetables.
- Building raised beds of different heights adds visual interest in the garden.
- Raised beds can contain specific soil for different types of crop, so that tender or exotic plants with specific soil requirements can still be cultivated.
Why use timber sleepers for raised bed?
Historically, a surplus of railway sleepers meant they could be used for gardens, where they created an authentic, rustic aesthetic. Today, with fewer available and those that do remain likely to have been treated with creosote to preserve them, people are turning to new timber sleepers. These are available in a choice of pressure treated softwood, as well as hardwood. Much more lightweight than a railway sleeper, new timber sleepers can be carried and sawn to size quite easily by one person.
How to build a raised bed from timber sleepers
The easiest way to construct a raised bed is in layers or levels, depending on the depth required. The size of a raised bed depends on personal preference but ideally, you should be able to access the centre of the bed from every side without treading on the soil. At Witham Timber, we supply sleepers in different dimensions but generally, a raised bed of single sleeper height will be sufficient for shallow rooted crops such as salad vegetables, with large shrubs etc. requiring greater depth.
To construct a raised bed 120cm X 60cm X 20cm
Based on our softwood brown wooden railway sleepers measuring 100 X 200 X 2400mm, a single layer raised bed will require two sleepers to construct and will be sufficient for an herb garden. You will also need a saw, fixings, membrane and soil.
1 Take one sleeper and saw it in half to create the longer sides (120cm in length). Take the second sleeper and cut into 4 equal lengths of 60cm – you will use two of these for the shorter sides.
2 Lay two longer lengths and two shorter lengths on level ground in a rectangle with staggered, interlocked corners (as in a large picture frame). If the ground is soft, remove any weeds and level with a rake.
3 Fix each corner with two timber screws per corner for added strength.
4 Line the raised bed with a plastic, weed-suppressing membrane, add a layer of stones for drainage and fill with soil.
5 Happy planting!
If you require a deeper bed, construct another level (you would need only one more sleeper as the lengths left from the first level can be used for the shorter sides of the second layer) and attach with screws to the first. You can also reinforce the corners of a deeper bed by securing a corner bracket on the inside of the bed frame.
Timber sleepers from Witham Timber
We stock softwood garden sleepers in brown or green in a choice of length, that are pressure treated and sourced from sustainable forests, as well as quality oak hardwood sleepers. Our oak sleepers are available in one length only and are the heaviest of both types of sleepers. For any questions you may have, either about constructing raised beds or about timber sleepers, please contact our staff on 01205 359188 or via email at sales@withamtimber.co.uk