Home Improvements Requiring Math

[GoodKarma]

Looking for any math wizards out there...I have a off-the-wall issue that I'm not sure how to search for on Google so I figured I'd ask the Swamp hive mind.

I want to build a 12 foot by 4 foot raised garden bed using landscape timbers like these. They come in 8 foot long sections and I want to stack them 3 high. Instead of just stacking them directly one on top of the other I want to stagger them on the 12 foot side so that each layer overlaps the "seam" like when laying bricks or rectangular tile or something like that.

How do I calculate how many I need? I don't think I care how I stagger them...i.e. how many I have per layer.

[govmentchedda]

Looking for any math wizards out there...I have a off-the-wall issue that I'm not sure how to search for on Google so I figured I'd ask the Swamp hive mind.

I want to build a 12 foot by 4 foot raised garden bed using landscape timbers like these. They come in 8 foot long sections and I want to stack them 3 high. Instead of just stacking them directly one on top of the other I want to stagger them on the 12 foot side so that each layer overlaps the "seam" like when laying bricks or rectangular tile or something like that.

How do I calculate how many I need? I don't think I care how I stagger them...i.e. how many I have per layer.

Be careful that you don't get a treated wood that hinders plant growth.

Each layer on the 12' side will need 1.5 8' planks, so 4.5 total per side, 9 total per box. Each short side needs 1.5 8' planks (3x 4') as well, so 12 total boards/planks. You need 6 total uncut (3 per long side) and 6 total cut (for 12 total 4' pieces, after they're cut, with each side taking 3).

Your long stacks could look like this
XXXXXXXXOOOO
OOOOXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXOOOO

(Each capital letter represents a foot of board, i.e. 8 X's for an 8' board, 4 O's for a 4' board)

The part where it gets somewhat tricky is the corners. My math above basically built you four "walls". It would be very cool to cut out enough of each piece so you could mesh them together at the corners. It would make your box smaller, but more visually appealing. (Insert vaginoplasty joke here)

[EnochRoot]

[GoodKarma]

Thanks for the the help on that…for some reason my brain could not process what to do..aptly put by the above picture.

I was planning on staggering at the corners..it can be a little smaller.

[EnochRoot]

Thanks for the the help on that…for some reason my brain could not process what to do..aptly put by the above picture.

I was planning on staggering at the corners..it doesn’t have to be exactly that big.

It shouldn't be too difficult to install a sprinkler/mist system (so long as you have a water source to connect to it).

[GoodKarma]

Thanks for the the help on that…for some reason my brain could not process what to do..aptly put by the above picture.

I was planning on staggering at the corners..it doesn’t have to be exactly that big.

It shouldn't be too difficult to install a sprinkler/mist system (so long as you have a water source to connect to it).

Yeah that’s the second phase…I have an existing sprinkler system in the yard so I will probably tap into that.

[EnochRoot]

Thanks for the the help on that…for some reason my brain could not process what to do..aptly put by the above picture.

I was planning on staggering at the corners..it doesn’t have to be exactly that big.

It shouldn't be too difficult to install a sprinkler/mist system (so long as you have a water source to connect to it).

Yeah that’s the second phase…I have an existing sprinkler system in the yard so I will probably tap into that.

So would it be a dedicated system, or your existing sprinkler system would cover the 12x4 zone?

[GoodKarma]

Thanks for the the help on that…for some reason my brain could not process what to do..aptly put by the above picture.

I was planning on staggering at the corners..it doesn’t have to be exactly that big.

It shouldn't be too difficult to install a sprinkler/mist system (so long as you have a water source to connect to it).

Yeah that’s the second phase…I have an existing sprinkler system in the yard so I will probably tap into that.

So would it be a dedicated system, or your existing sprinkler system would cover the 12x4 zone?

I should be able to add a drip line to the existing system...I have a spare zone on my control unit.