Hi Charles,
Thank you for your advice. I’m glad you mentioned Linseed Oil. The wood I have has a lot of splits in it, (well that’s what pine does!) so I was thinking about pushing linseed oil putty into the splits and gaps so there are less homes for the slugs. I’ll then paint the ends and any damages with the linseed oil. I’ll let you know in 10 years if it works out 🙂
I love the way that one can improvise with gardening, rather than there being specific rules as you can always adapt guidelines to your own situation with what materials you have or can afford. When the raised beds are ready, I shall refer to your books to decide what to sow and plant for this time of year.