Raised beds
A raised bed made from railway sleepers will be extremely strong and long lasting, with an attractive natural look. Our New Oak or Eco treated sleepers sized at 2400mm x 200mm x 100mm are great for the job. You can use them horizontally, or cut them in length and lay them in the same way as timber posts.
Instructions for how to make a raised bed using the sleepers horizontally are below.
Raised beds
What you will need
Railway Sleepers
Circular saw or chain saw
Drill
Timberlok screws 250mm & 150mm
10cm wood screws
Metal plate connectors
Instructions
Calculate the number of sleepers you need for your raised bed. The number of sleepers you'll need for your raised bed depends on the size of your desired bed. When calculating, remember that you need to make your bed at least four sleepers tall.
Arrange railway sleepers into a rectangle or square on the ground. If the sleepers need trimming, cut them to size using a circular saw or a chain saw.
Connect the sleepers end-to-end using metal plate connectors. Centre the metal plate connector over the gap where two sleepers meet and place a 10 cm (4 inch) wood screw into each hole to hold the plate in place. If you want your raised bed to be extra secure, you could place a second metal plate connector on the opposite side of the sleepers as well.
Attach railway sleepers to each other at the corners using a drill and 250mm Timberlok Screw. Timberlok screws do not require pre-drilling and can bore directly through sleepers. Connect the corners by screw two to three timberlok screws through the entire width of one sleeper, into the end of the adjacent sleeper.
Stack sleepers on top of the first set. Attach the sleepers to the bottom rectangle or square in the same way that you attached the bottom sleepers to each other, use timberlok screws through the top sleepers into the bottom pieces. Also, connect the sleepers to each other as you did the first row, end-to-end.
Continue stacking sleepers on top of each other until your wall is at least 45 cm (18 inches) high, though it can be higher if you prefer. Continue to use timberlok screws to connect the sleepers to each other.
Once the construction is complete, we would advise lining the raised bed with membrane thus preventing weeds from growing from underneath whilst allowing for drainage. Fill the raised bed with soil then populate with your plants or vegetables!
All Products mentioned in this blog are available to view on our website www.acereclamation.com or by clicking the highlighted words which are hyperlinked to the appropriate pages and will take you directly where you need to go and the products are then available to look at and purchase.
You can also have a look around at our full range of sleepers and see if anything else catches your eye. You can purchase the products direct on the website or if you have any other questions you can call our team on 01202 579222 and they will be happy to help.