Using Railway Sleepers on tiered raised vegetable beds

Steph5

We are in the process of converting a rather 'empty' slope in our garden which is approx 8m wide and 4m deep into 2 raised vegetable beds.  We have bought some old Railway Sleepers to hold back the soil which will eventually be placed in there (we have dug it all out).

Please can you advise how to secure the Railway Sleepers in place?  Also if the Railway Sleepers are treated is this contraindicated to growing veg next to them?

Thanks

Obelixx

Our veggie plot was a slope and we had a railway sleeper wall erected to hold it all up level.  They're heavy and it was a big job so we got some chaps in.  They "planted" some sleepers vertically then laid horizontal sleepers behind them stacking them in alternating layers like bricks to spread the joins. 

The weight of the soil behind holds them against the vertical posts.  The whole lot was lined with sheets of black plastic to reduce rotting from the damp soil and this also prevents chemicalls from leaching from the sleepers to the soil.  Having said that, we get mosses and lichens growing on our sleeper walls so the chemicals can't be that bad after a few years of rain and wind.

Steph5

Thanks obelixx

M33R4

Obelixx said:

Our veggie plot was a slope and we had a railway sleeper wall erected to hold it all up level.  They're heavy and it was a big job so we got some chaps in.  They "planted" some sleepers vertically then laid horizontal sleepers behind them stacking them in alternating layers like bricks to spread the joins. ..."

Any pics please?

nick615

Stout lengths of angle iron will be the most durable, driven into the soil with a sledge hammer.  'T' sections for intermediates, 'L' sections for corners.