Steps for Using Railroad Ties for Landscaping
Railroad ties for landscaping have many benefits. They are inexpensive, natural-looking and sturdy. Contrary to their benefits, they have two major disadvantages: railroad ties are very heavy and they are treated with creosote, a poisonous chemical that seeps into the ground.
There are many ways to use railroad ties around the yard, but the most common way is to hold a retaining wall. If you plan to build a retaining wall that is more than two or three rows high, you will need to insert steel rod re-enforcements every few feet. The instructions for this project are for a wall that is low to the ground and does not involve steel re-enforcements.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
-
Steps For Using Railroad Ties For Landscaping
-
1
Dig a trench. Dig a shallow trench, running the length of the wall. The trench should be the width of the railroad ties and no deeper than 3 inches.
-
2
Begin layers. While laying the first layer of the retaining wall, hammer each down into the ground with a mallet. Use a level as you go.
-
3
Cut in half. Use a chainsaw to cut a railroad tie in half. Begin the second row with a half length of railroad tie.
-
4
Create staggered effect. Every other row should begin with a full length of railroad tie. To complete the staggered effect, be sure that the seams of each row are not in a straight line.
-
5
Fill in gaps. Due to the fact that railroad ties have been recycled from the railroad industry, the ties may be uneven and create gaps in the wall. Fill in visible gaps with compacted dirt.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Always use heavy duty gloves when handling the railroad ties.
Due to the creosote coating, never use railroad ties to surround areas where food crops will grow.
Related Searches
Comments
-
filigreeshadow
Jul 11, 2010
Unfortunately this article has some misleading information: using "railroad ties as a barrier" in a garden is NOT ok especially if one is going to eat (plant fruit and vegetables) from the garden. ""A railroad tie is treated with a preservative, usually creosote, adistillate by-product of coal tar . Coal-tar creosote is the most widely used wood preservative in the United States. However, The International Agency for Research on Cancer has determined that creosote is probably carcinogenic to humans and the EPA has declared it a "restricted use pesticide". -- Google Answers Using railroad ties is a really bad suggestion, probably the worst I have come across regarding gardening. Please don't use railroad ties no matter what this site says.
