For frugal gardening I believe in using whatever you have on hand or can get cheaply...do you have cordwood available...

Yes. After I thought about it some more though it might be better to use lumber in case we wanted to change the layout at some point later on.

This post is quite old, and I'd be interested to know what you've done. The biggest drawback I see to cordwood is that the varying heights will make it uncomfortable to work the beds. I like the ones I did with cement blocks because I can sit on the side and reach into the beds to weed, etc. I too believe in using what's onhand. What about laying the wood down longways. It would go further and you could still move it if you decided later. The bed wouldn't be so classy-looking, but it would function.

The biggest thing I worry about is untreated wood that isn't cedar etc. drawing termites. Don't want to attract them to the area.
Mary