Re Raised Beds

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Sparkyrog

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Re Raised Beds
« on: August 24, 2013, 09:23 »
Does anyone paint the inside with bitumen to make them last longer ?
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compostqueen

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2013, 09:25 »
I don't.  You have to think about what you're putting on next to food crops as you don't want residues in your eatables  :)

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surbie100

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2013, 09:27 »
Nope, not sure about that leaching out into my veggies. But they do get an extra coat of wood preserver and one or two coals of garden wood paint.

Others on my site line them with plastic, not that I am convinced that helps stop the rotting - it just seems like another place for critters to hide.

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Beetroot Queen

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2013, 09:41 »
Nope we dont happy to repair and replace as needed but ours are defined beds rather than raised so the wood is not holding back copious amounts of soil.

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Wavertree Red

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2013, 11:13 »
I stain only the outside of my raised beds (scaffold boards) with fence paint.  After the season I draw the soil towards the centre to give the boards a chance to breathe and dry out a little.  Original raised bed is now 4 years old and holding up well.
I said a Keith Richards not a Cliff Richard..................

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surbie100

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2013, 11:59 »
I stain only the outside of my raised beds (scaffold boards) with fence paint.  After the season I draw the soil towards the centre to give the boards a chance to breathe and dry out a little.  Original raised bed is now 4 years old and holding up well.

Nice idea, thanks.  :)

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Kristen

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2013, 12:08 »
I stapled damp proof membrane to the inside of mine.

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Yana

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2013, 13:12 »
I stapled damp proof membrane to the inside of mine.
I've done the same Kristen and would say that there are no more slugs / snails that if the membrane wasn't there.
I painted the inside edge with fence paint to seal it and gave the outer edges of the boards two coats of the same fence paint. After two seasons of full use, the stain is OK and I am sure that the membrane liner has helped with stopping any creeping bindweed coming in under the edge of the bed as I can see it easily against the black plastic.
I am gradually building up the level of the soil in these beds as I add manure / compost to eventually have it higher than the paths around the beds. The widths of the beds mean that I don't have to tread on the ground so that is a bonus when it comes to digging time.  :D
I have my own cement mixer and not afraid to use it!!

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Kristen

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2013, 14:22 »
I don't dig my raised beds - although they do get "dug" when Parsnips, Leeks and Spuds are harvested, or to make a trench for the Runners (they move around with my crop rotation here, others will monocrop them of course), so "No dig" is a bit of an oversimplification!

I'm not convinced that wood treatments "safe" for external use, or even internal use for that matter, have been tested for "waterlogged underground" so I decided not to treat mine at all, but I have no evidence that it might be a problem.  Of case the damp proof membrane's intended use is in a cement-sandwich between two courses of bricks, so lining a raised bed it may well mean that the plasticisers leach into my root crops ... each has to make his or her own mind up on the matter though.  Its not that long since tar soaked, re-creosoted railway sleepers would have been the edging of choice for a raised bed ...

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Trillium

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2013, 17:10 »
I use 8 mil vapor barrier  poly sheeting to line my raised beds since mine average 2ft high, some a bit more. Once the soil presses against the sheeting, the sun can't attack it or break it down. I also poke some drainage holes in the bottom if I need a wetter type bed, or simply  staple it to the inside walls. So far it's worked well and nothing can hide between the sheeting or wood.

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Mbmyco2

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2013, 18:58 »
Im Going to line mine with rubber pond liner
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Sparkyrog

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Re: Re Raised Beds
« Reply #11 on: August 24, 2013, 20:05 »
Thanks All for your comments you can see why in my project  :)



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