Robin Bletsoe's vegetable beds with railway sleepers

Please find a selection of photos of my front garden project which utilised 15 railway rleepers to create three raised planting beds each providing approximately 7m2 of growing area (21m2 in total). The construction project commenced 09.09.2006 and was completed by 02.11.06. First sowings (Parsnip) 15.02.07. Over two thirds of the fill material for the beds came from my old compost heap which I had been working for the past 10 years. The final third was a combination of a good neighbours spare top soil and some quality Fenland "black" bought in from a local supplier. The pathways are comprised road plannings - a very cheap solution and also effective. I have supplemented the railway sleeper planters with other forms of containers to maximise the available space for cropping.

We now have a functional space which will provide us with a range of vegetable and salad crops instead of being a dead space which was a chore to maintain and not suited for any amenity purpose. The only downside to the whole project is the local CAT population which seems to be attracted to what to them must seem a a giant cat litter. The aerial Cd's are therefore to keep birds away and hopefully distract cats. I am also using old "T" bags drenched in Tea Tree oil which may or may not have the desired effect.
Robin Bletsoe
St Ives, Cambridgeshire

RAILWAY SLEEPERS USED:
New Pine railway sleepers
3000mm x 200mm x 100mm
1200mm x 200mm x 100mm

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