Advice - raised bed in the garden

GBX

Hi, hoping to get some ideas.
My fiance wants to put a raised bed in the garden. We have small back garden with a slope backing onto the neighbours. Ideally leaving the sloped area in place and building something on/around it.
What is the best option for this sort of idea. Would using railway sleepers work ? Would they need to be secured to the fence ? Or would building up with bricks and filling in to a suitable height ?

(Quite clueless at this sort of thing but want to try get it done)

awec

How raised do you want it?

GBX

Ideally to waist height / just above in line with the current grass level at the back fence. Basically square it off to the concrete post on the left side of the garden.

awec

The modern railway sleepers would work. They're pretty expensive though, between 25-30 euro for about a 2metre sleeper if I remember right.

You want it to go the full width of the garden?

I wouldn't secure anything to the fence. I'd probably build up with sleepers on all four sides, you can go right up against the fence on the 3 sides if you want. Put some vertical posts into the ground that you can attach the horizontals to on the inside.

I think that's quite a big raised bed though as it's so deep. Have you considered doing one with two tiers? A higher tier at the very back, then a lower tier? Visually it would look a lot more interesting, and you could incorporate a seat in it.

GBX

awec wrote: »

The modern railway sleepers would work. They're pretty expensive though, between 25-30 euro for about a 2metre sleeper if I remember right.

You want it to go the full width of the garden?

I wouldn't secure anything to the fence. I'd probably build up with sleepers on all four sides, you can go right up against the fence on the 3 sides if you want. Put some vertical posts into the ground that you can attach the horizontals to on the inside.

I think that's quite a big raised bed though as it's so deep. Have you considered doing one with two tiers? A higher tier at the very back, then a lower tier? Visually it would look a lot more interesting, and you could incorporate a seat in it.

Thanks. Yeah it would be fairly substantial size going so deep. May not be accessible at one level. Will discuss the idea further and see how we go. Thanks for the replies.

awec

Also consider the amount of soil you will need to fill it if you do it as one height the whole way across, and the cost of that. Probably looking at 5 or 6 tonne bags?

Lumen

I'd go for two terraces, with grass planted on the first one and planting on the upper terrace. Then you can run a mower along the first terrace and use it to pass out in a beery coma or whatever takes your fancy.

"Sleepers" tend to be sold in 200x100 cross section so four high on the lower one would give you 400mm, which is nice for sitting on, and then maybe 4 or 5 on the upper one for leaning against.

awec

Lumen wrote: »

I'd go for two terraces, with grass planted on the first one and planting on the upper terrace. Then you can run a mower along the first terrace and use it to pass out in a beery coma or whatever takes your fancy.

"Sleepers" tend to be sold in 200x100 cross section so four high on the lower one would give you 400mm, which is nice for sitting on, and then maybe 4 or 5 on the upper one for leaning against.

You mean 2 high?

Or are you suggesting he lay them flat? Expensive (but otherwise rock solid) raised bed !

Go with the real reclaimed sleepers.
much nicer IMO!
bout 25e each

Calahonda52

I have deleted my post as I suspect OP wants a raised flower/shrub bed.
In any event waist high =30 inches which has a lot of stability issues associated with it, as well as drying out rapids if not lined with plastics, that still allows drainage

Lumen

awec wrote: »

You mean 2 high?

Or are you suggesting he lay them flat? Expensive (but otherwise rock solid) raised bed !

I would lay them flat. Built properly they will be there for 20 years.

I did similar with untreated oak sleepers. A pallet of them wasn't too expensive in the grand scheme of hard landscaping.

pwurple

What's the budget OP? What finish is your house? Plastered, brick, dashed?


I think sleepers are completely out of context in a new build or a housing estate. You're nowhere near a railway.

I would go with something more contemporary, concrete blocks, and plaster it. Face it with some stone or brick if your house is finished with that.

I would also bring it around the corner to give it a finished feel, not just a wall plonked at the end of the garden.
Like this, but with grass or paving there instead of the deck



I like the idea of integrating seating...

dePeatrick

Calahonda52 wrote: »

I have deleted my post as I suspect OP wants a raised flower/shrub bed.
In any event waist high =30 inches which has a lot of stability issues associated with it, as well as drying out rapids if not lined with plastics, that still allows drainage

Last few summers have been so dry that any raised beds I have (6" or so) had to be watered almost everyday and when the ground is that dry it just soaks it up no matter how much water you put on it.

Lumen

pwurple wrote: »

I think sleepers are completely out of context in a new build or a housing estate. You're nowhere near a railway.

They're at the end of the garden so it's physically impossible to see both the house and the sleepers at the same time. :pac:

cletus

pwurple wrote: »

What's the budget OP? What finish is your house? Plastered, brick, dashed?


I think sleepers are completely out of context in a new build or a housing estate. You're nowhere near a railway.

I would go with something more contemporary, concrete blocks, and plaster it. Face it with some stone or brick if your house is finished with that.

I would also bring it around the corner to give it a finished feel, not just a wall plonked at the end of the garden.
Like this, but with grass or paving there instead of the deck

Will ye stop. The fella came on looking for advice on building a raised flower bed, and you've gone completely Dermot Bannon on him

awec

I don't think the sleepers would look out of context, they'll end up looking a very similar colour to your fence so it'll look harmonious.

So you can only have sleepers if you live beside a railway........
Do you have to live beside the brick factory to have bricks ?
What about timber? By the sawmill?

I've never heard such ****e!

GBX

Thanks all for the replies. Plenty of ideas to mull over. Sleepers were one of the first things that was mentioned by herself - but the Dermot Bannon way might be an option as well after showing her the above images! Will have to sit down and see what exactly she wants and go from there!

jack of all

I hope I haven't misread but I think there is one significant problem with your proposal which no body has highlighted. If you plan on raising the soil level beside those fences the timber panels will be in soil contact and this would significantly shorten their life. Those fences would not be designed or intended to function as a retaining wall which they would become with a load of topsoil built up against them.

Lumen

jack of all wrote: »

I hope I haven't misread but I think there is one significant problem with your proposal which no body has highlighted. If you plan on raising the soil level beside those fences the timber panels will be in soil contact and this would significantly shorten their life. Those fences would not be designed or intended to function as a retaining wall which they would become with a load of topsoil built up against them.

The retaining wall needs to be continued around the sides. If it's built properly this will strengthen it.

CJhaughey

If you are building raised beds, instead of filling the whole thing with topsoil which is a waste and expensive, think about filling the bottom with old lumps of timber sticks etc, this is a much better method of keeping moisture in the bed and will also help with keeping the bed fertile.
Most plants especially decorative types will only use a very small depth of soil maybe 50cm at the most, so any soil under that is just wasted.
Plenty of old logs and lumps of wood around the place if you go looking for them.