Raised bed using second hand sleepers?

darrendodd2a

Is it safe to use secondhand sleepers for a raised bed to grow veg in? 

koyukano

Depends how they have been treat previously, anything treated with I think it's called creocite should be avoided, although some say if it's an old railway sleeper all the creocite should have dissipated by now, but I am really not sure. 

Personally I would avoid any sleeper that has been chemically treated, heat treated timber would be fine or untreated sleepers. I think there is usually a stamp on the wood somewhere to indicate what kind of treatment it has had. 

Edit: You could also line the inside sides of the raised bed with a waterproof lining to prevent any chemicals from the sleepers getting into the raised bed if you needed too. 

darrendodd2a

Thank you, brand new to Gardening so appreciate your advice. Just had some plants delivered from a local nursery & he advised ok but to use a liner 👍. 

Obelixx

The veg plot in our last garden was on what had been a rough slope.  We had chaps come in and build a railway sleeper wall to my chest height and then a sloping path up to the new level, also lined with sleepers.  They stapled black plastic sheets to the insides which protected the wood from moisture in the soil and the soil from any excretions from the sleepers which were ex-railway.

We had lovely fruit and veg and rhubarb and the sleepers eventually grew moss and lichens and algae so can't have been that toxic after all.

darrendodd2a

That sounds lovely, just what we are hoping to do. Everything has been ordered now, can’t wait to get started 👍. Thanks for replies.