Hear me out on this gardening question..
Sorry to post this here but it does involve construction material and some of you may have tried this.
I would like to make a 4’x8′ raised bed using Trex or similar deck boards. The problem is the stuff is not stiff enough to hold the dirt.
Ideally it would be nice to use 2×6 construction grade redwood but we don’t have such stuff in our area on the East coast.
The sides would consist of three stacked boards nailed to 4×4 corners.
The raised bed would be free-standing and simply hold the dirt.
I’m trying to get some ideas on stiffening the side walls without having to drive anything into the ground.
Thanks for any tips,
Alan
Replies
IMHO, that's not going to hold a couple of tones of wet dirt; you'll need mini-ties at the minimum, or a masonary/stone wall.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Alan,
Use some trex as form ties with vertical half lap joints, ie log cabin.
KK
Phill and KK -
Thanks for the speedy replies.
An article from one of my Fine Gardening issues motivated me to put togther a sandbox for the boys as well as several raised beds.
The article shows 2x6x8' redwood to make a 4x8 bed that is three boards high, tied together with 4x4 redwood corners. (The author's boxes lasted over 20 years.)
Wanting to avoid using PT wood, especially for the sandbox, I thought I would look for a more affordable and safe alternative for the East coast. Due to amount of dirt, at least a 2x side board should be used.
And I need to be able to relocate them every couple years.
I need to go to the local lumber yard and maybe look at white oak, which should last a good while. When the kids grow too old for the sandbox, it will be turned into another raised bed.
If they last 15 years, that will be good enough for me.
By then, gardening may be a different ball game, either personally or due to global climate changes.
Thanks !
Alan
Before I was a house builder I was a market gardener with a lot of raised beds, nearly an acre of them. I didn't have Trex in those days, and relied on white oak and locust slabs from the sawmill for cheap bed sides. I kept the sides plumb with 1/2-inch re-bar stakes as needed. An occasional spritz of black Rustoleum kept the re-bar looking okay. On some of the beds I put the rebar inside the slabs and screwed 1/2" pipe clamps to hold the slabs to the re-bar. In beds where I didn't plan to use a rotary tiller I sometimes put a galvanized wire stretching from side to side, with a piece of re-bar to twist the wire tight. Just remember the wire is there and don't try to pry it out with the spade when you're double digging. In case you're wondering, I like house building more than farming. The hours are a heck of a lot better, and I actually get paid what I'm worth. Andy Lee
Thanks, Andy, for the tip.
It looks like a trip to the local lumber mill is in order.
We do have native species locust and white oak that gets milled at this place. Been wanting to pay them a visit for quite some time.
Already have a 12' x 30' area pergola that is constructed of locust and white oak. (none pressure treated.)
Take care,
Alan