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How to Use Railroad Ties for Raised Garden Beds
How to Use Railroad Ties for Raised Garden Beds. Railroad ties can be easily used to make a raised garden bed. At 8 1/2 feet long and 7 inches high, they can be cut in half to make the preferred 4-foot distance for an easy reach into the garden bed. They can be stacked in multiples of 7 inch increments, to allow for the necessary 6- to 12-inch...
Railroad ties can be easily used to make a raised garden bed. At 8 1/2 feet long and 7 inches high, they can be cut in half to make the preferred 4-foot distance for an easy reach into the garden bed. They can be stacked in multiples of 7 inch increments, to allow for the necessary 6- to 12-inch rooting zone. Railroad ties are often found discarded or for sale at lawn-and-garden shops, and in many cases they may already be cut down to 4 feet.
Things You'll Need
3 Railroad ties
Drill with correct sized bit, 8 inches long-An 8 inch long drill bit extension works too
Re-bar, cut to fit
Hammer
Circular saw
Tape measure
Mallet
Marker
Shovel
Level
Plastic sheet (optional)
Rough cut one railroad tie to 4 feet with a circular saw. Measure the distance with a tape measure, mark it off with a marker, and cut the tie at the mark. The ideal raised garden bed has a 4 foot width so that the plants in the middle can easily be reached. But that characteristic is solely dependent on the user and what they prefer.
Drill holes through each of the 8 1/2-foot ties every 4 feet, leaving approximately 6 to 8 inches at each end. One hole can be drilled into a side railroad tie at approximately the center point. A long, 8-inch drill bit will be needed to get through the 7-inch height of the railroad tie, but an 8-inch drill bit extension will attach to any drill bit. These can be found at virtually any hardware store.
Dig out a level 2-inch trench for the railroad ties to rest in. This will add stability and will allow you to vary the depth of the trench for level railroad tie placement. Use a level to check each tie, and dig out enough soil so that they are all even once laid down.
Stack the railroad ties so the holes line up. Ideally, alternate the stack on the ends so that on one level, the length of the laid tie goes all the way out to the end, and on another level, the width of the laid tie goes to the end.
Drive the re-bar through the holes with a mallet and into the ground to anchor the ties in place.
Tips & Warnings
An ideal raised bed would comprise six railroad ties, two stacked on every side. This will give a preferred rooting zone of 12 inches.
If you have any concern about leaking creosote from the ties, which is the preservative used to keep the ties from rotting, drape a plastic sheet over the inside of the ties before filling the raised garden with dirt.
