Flower beds, patio

AndrewOS

Registered User
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Im looking to build large flower beds around my garden, using railway sleepers as a border, filling with crushed stone and topping with top soil, about 16meters in length, 1 metre high, and about ft and half in width, I think it would take about 6 tonne of crushed stone, I'm looking for recommendations on where to source the stone, top soil and sleepers delivered. Any other ideas welcome.
 
Location would help....

Lining with polythene will help with moisture retention and extend the life of the sleepers. As a much cheaper alternative to sleepers, you could use treated 9x2 with some cross-bracing. You don't need the bulk of sleepers to retain that width of soil.
 
No prob, I can't help with Limerick recommendations but I'm sure others will.

One other thought, I used 9x2s for raised beds with decking boards on top to give a nicer finished look. I also put a strip of decorative stone around the edges and this has seemed to be quite successful in keeping slugs out of the beds.
 
9 x 2 if it's really good quality and not full of moisture will cost just as much as the sleepers, if not more, but in my opinion is worth it. Don't use cheap timber and stain it for effect, it will rot and quickly. Remember the ordinary sleeper is full of creosote and with the amount you'll be using and the narrow width you'll have a lot of seepage of the corrosive creosote. I think you can get a new type of sleeper without the creosote for aprox €20 in most good garden centres. Going on your measurements you'll need more than 40 of them, that's €800 minimum before you line the bed, tie in the timber, etc.
 
9 x 2 if it's really good quality and not full of moisture will cost just as much as the sleepers, if not more, but in my opinion is worth it.

You'll get rough-sawn treated 9x2 for ~€20 for a 4.8m length.

Creosote has been banned for non-commercial use since 2003, it's actually illegal to use them in gardens. Such was the level of dumping from other countries that were ahead of us in terms of banning their use that in 2006 the EPA banned the import creosote treated sleepers unless they were transported by authorised waste hauliers and stored in authorised waste facilities (their use was allowed in certain marine construction).

Most suppliers now selling sleepers for garden use are selling pressure treated beams of similar dimensions that use approved preservatives That said, there are still some selling what looks like the original creosote covered ones. I wouldn't be using these where there are children or pets, or you're growing veg.
 
The important thing to remember is, "moisture content". Doesn't matter how much a 4.8 mtr length is, if the moisture content is very high it's useless, absolutely useless and there's an awful lot of it about.
 
Good information on above posts. I have ancient railway sleepers that exudes creosote in hot weather, and also lookalikes that have rotted in a short time frame.

I can understand the veg and fruit areas as a proximity issue, but pets?
What am I missing?
 
I can understand the veg and fruit areas as a proximity issue, but pets?
What am I missing?

Exposure to the vapour or direct skin contact can cause a number of health problems over time, and pets are more susceptible.
 
Thanks for all the excellent info everyone, you have been very helpful, I did extensive searches for sleepers and Price's vary from €17 to €27, I've managed to get my hands on good dry scaffold boards 8ft by 2inches @ €5 which I will strengthen with post, I know these won't be as long lasting as sleepers but should be easy enough to swap out should I need to, budget at the moment won't cover sleepers as the project is more than just the raised flower beds.
 
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