Anyone made their own planters.

[Paranoidandroidmarvin]

We are making long planters to separate the patio from the grass.

We have the design ready. Just wondered if anyone had made these. And had any tips. Things that went wrong.

Also. What wood did u use? I have been searching and have an idea but wanted to see if anyone had any better.

Yes, dig in a bit otherwise you get a gap between planter & patio. Line if using untreated wood.

I used decking boards, lined with black plastic (cut up old compost bags and stapled in place). I joined the boards using joining/mending plates from Screwfix - can't see them as they are behind the plastic lining.

Defo line with plastic (as the wood will last longer in theory if it’s not in direct contact with wet soil).

Expect to replace every say five to seven years, so build in such a way that you can do so, ie don’t concrete them in or build something partly over the top etc. so you can’t remove.

Make corner joints really solid. It’s likely someone will stand in the frame or dig into the corners or dig with the back of a shovel as they lever earth out.

Id paint outsides to protect from the elements.

I used douglas fir, it held for a long long time (until I moved, don't know after that). I didn't line.

I find the plastic lining deteriorates over time and you end up with lots of bits of plastic in the soil, which I hate. If you do line, try to use a pond liner or something relatively high quality to avoid this.

I bought a couple of these raised bed liners about 12 years ago.
www.diy.com/departments/verve-polypropylene-pp-raised-bed-plant-container-liner116cm/1872287_BQ.prd and used pressure treated decking planks to build wooden frames round them.

They've lasted 10 years standing on a concrete base - which is 4 years longer than the wooden raised beds I built standing directly on the ground, in the vegetable garden.

I noticed that some of the planks were going rotten, but didn't want to face the job of moving the plants and rebuilding so decided to ignore it. Last time I walked past I saw that one of the planks had fallen off and was lying on the concrete in front of the planter. The screws probably came loose once the wood of the plank they were screwed into rotted away. I'm going to have to check to see if the liners are still intact, and then either order more decking planks to hold them, or replace them with something better able to survive the climate in Wales.

My sister invested in some linkabord raised beds around the same time as I was building the wooden ones, and her beds are still in perfect nick after all this time. They were easy to build and have been dismantled and rebuilt into different configurations over the years. I'd predicted they would turn brittle from being out in the sun and frost, but I was wrong, they seem to be indestructible.

That's ten good years and two increasingly rotten and falling apart years.

This is really helpful!!!

Make sure they are tall enough for what you wish to plant. Lots of people sell those long but not very deep ones. I'd do 60cm for most things, especially permanent.

I had 60 cm in mind. So that’s good to know. Also so my husband cannot just hop over them.

My husband used scaffolding boards that he got free from a local builder IIRC. Very thick and sturdy.