Raised beds

I'm about to build four 8 x 4ft raised beds on a plot of land which I have had under cover of a weedproof membrane for 12 months. I'm proposing to use gravel board 2 planks high, ie a total of 18in. I need to build in some protection against rabbits but for aesthetic reasons, don't really want a wire fence around it all. Are there any other good ways to keep rabbits away? Also is this timber going to be robust enough or should I be looking at railway sleepers which are a lot more expensive of course? TIA.

 

I don`t see a problem with gravel boards Charlie, as long as you treat them with a water based preservative. As for the rabbits, there is a product on the market called Renardine which is pretty effective.