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Concrete Block Raised Bed

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  • 17-03-2016 9:02am
    #1
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭


    Hi.
    I'm looking to get 4 or 5 raised beds into the garden this year.

    I priced pressure treated sleepers and its coming in at €350 per bed!!!! That's not a feasible option at that price.

    Having seen concrete blocks used somewhere before I did some calculations and it works out at around €100 per bed. Nicer on the wallet.

    I just plan on laying them flat on each other without mortar to a height of about 18 inches.


    Has anyone used this as an option before?

    C an you advise on what to do but more especially what not to do please?

    Many thanks


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    #2
    RebelButtMunch
    Registered Users Posts: 2,378 ✭✭✭RebelButtMunch


    TheTorment wrote: »
    Hi.
    I'm looking to get 4 or 5 raised beds into the garden this year.

    I priced pressure treated sleepers and its coming in at €350 per bed!!!! That's not a feasible option at that price.

    Having seen concrete blocks used somewhere before I did some calculations and it works out at around €100 per bed. Nicer on the wallet.

    I just plan on laying them flat on each other without mortar to a height of about 18 inches.


    Has anyone used this as an option before?

    C an you advise on what to do but more especially what not to do please?

    Many thanks

    I used 6x1 planks stacked on their edge to make a 12x1 bed frame. Came in at around 60 per bed I think. Lined with plastic on the inside of the frame and painted on the outside with fence preserve.


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    #3
    Hocus Focus
    Registered Users Posts: 753 ✭✭✭Hocus Focus


    If you go to a scaffolding company you can get boards that have been condemned for further use as scaffolding. They will cost about €7 each. When you build up an enclosure with these you should line it around the insides with heavy polythene sheeting, to keep the soil from rotting the timber prematurely. It will not last as long as the sleeper or block options, but is a cheaper alternative. Also, you should line the bottom with a thick layer of straw, to reduce the amount of topsoil you will need to put in.


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    #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Hocus Focus wrote: »
    If you go to a scaffolding company you can get boards that have been condemned for further use as scaffolding. They will cost about €7 each. When you build up an enclosure with these you should line it around the insides with heavy polythene sheeting, to keep the soil from rotting the timber prematurely. It will not last as long as the sleeper or block options, but is a cheaper alternative. Also, you should line the bottom with a thick layer of straw, to reduce the amount of topsoil you will need to put in.

    Thanks for that suggestion but I've blocks ordered already.

    I've access to any amount of horse manure. I was going to line the bottom with this. Would this be better than straw?


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    #5
    Hocus Focus
    Registered Users Posts: 753 ✭✭✭Hocus Focus


    A friend of mine who is a farmer and has a polytunnel with 3-plank-high beds, which work well, advised me to do this when he saw my 1-plank-high beds
    He said that the straw provides insulation from the actual ground soil, so that the heat is retained. If I had access to horse manure I would prefer to dig it into the topsoil, where it would be more readily accessible to the roots of the plants.


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