What about the screw in the ground dog tie out things?

Lee Valley carries three products that might adapt to your use. If the link doesn't take you to the right place, search the Lee Valley site for ground anchor.

The big plastic screw is HUGE. It is meant to hold a pole, but you could maybe tie a rope around it.

Karin L

Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Valley's ground anchors

Unless you are setting the lag bolt in bedrock, you will still require a solid footing to which embed your bolt into for long time security.

Rebar is pretty easy to drive into the ground, and conveniently comes in various lengths. I suppose, were you hardheaded enough, you could drive sections into the ground, flush against the lower timber, and tie them off somehow.

Or, maybe raised beds made of stone simply make more sense in flood zones?

Karin L

Random thoughts on the subject:

1. Why the determination to have the beds four timbers high? This height provides more of a tall obstruction for the force of the moving flood waters to push against.

2. Why not beds just one or two landscape timbers high with holes drilled into them to accept rebar; same idea as the deadman method of building retaining walls. Lower profile surface presented to moving water. Much less expense involved to replace if disaster strikes. Does not alter plant growth.

3. Sorry. At the moment I am unable to answer your question. Hurricane territory usually means sandy to pure sand soil which is not stable and needs the weight of attachments inserted in concrete to secure and stabilize above ground projects.

4. Perhaps building the beds with second-hand rejected concrete block usually available at manufacturers yards, stacking them and driving rebar through the holes into the earth might be a better plan. The block will not move as far and can be used to rebuild again.

The specific problem with flooding and landscape timbers is buoyancy force. So changing to something that isn't going to float will be a step in the right direction. Then the question will be how much lateral force is there, or is it OK for the walls to just fall over and be rebuilt.