Some guys around here are making 'fence posts' by pounding in a t-post, then putting a two - 3 feet circle / circumference of chain link fence around it, then filling the whole thing with rocks.

At least I think they put in a t-post. They might just be filling up the fencing with rocks. Anyway, it looks 'ok'.

David,

What if they put a .

. . clematis vine in with the rocks?

Steve

Here is what the civil engineers can do with several gabions stacked as a wall:

Imagine if that was something besides perennial ryegrass.

Steve
(checking on the price of galvanized wire :o>

Hi Steve,
I think I've seen what you mean.
On the road from
Denver to Winter Park, over Berthoud Pass, it looks like there are piles of rocks wrapped up in chicken wire, stacked on top of each other. Like that?

When we were looking for information to build a retaining wall, we did come across these caged rocks...thanks to digit, now I know what they are called. b2alicia, I believe those caged rocks over the pass are to prevent rock slides. If you google "Gabion" as digit suggested, you would see that they are used on dry stacked walls. I find them unattractive at best. I wonder if this technique is a quick way and assurance to prevent the stacked rocks falling out. When the fella and I was building our retaining wall, it was like a jigsaw puzzle finding the right fit for each rock and making sure it was level with a slight inward slope at every level. We also decided to pour in a foot deep concrete base. It's a wonder it took is so long to get it completed and we are almost done LOL! We picked up the cap stones today and will be on our way to mortar that in the next few weeks....then it will finally be done! The fella and I were joking that it will be the only thing standing if a tornado came through since it was probably overkill with the concrete base we did.

One of the cages they make uses this real heavy woven "chicken wire." It isn't real chicken wire since there is kind of a joke out there that the only thing chicken wire stops is a chicken. Any varmint can get right thru it and I can hardly believe that it is made heavy enuf for rocks! Still, there must be some other product out there that is made the same way!

I am off to Lowes this morning for a box of screws - yes, I've got 1 or 2 of those loose. I'm going to look at the price of woven wire. You know, it will take a fair amount of it since a box has 6 sides.

I'm not sure that I'm gonna do this "box of rocks" thing. I haven't quite figured out where to put it or what might be growing on/in it which would have 12 month visual appeal. I suffer with one problem. The HUGE pile of rocks beside my big veggie garden is on the leeward side! I would have to cart the dang things about 50 yards to build a useful wall against the wind . . .

The new garden extenstion is closer but would require a 200' wall for a wind break! Squeezing a "gabion feature" into my small yard, instead of the gardens, really takes some thought . . .

Steve

Ha! "A few screws loose". You're such a card, Steve.

Good luck finding your heavy-duty wire. By the way, chicken wire luckily worked as a barrier for the bunnies living under my deck.

Hi Digit,

If you get your screws tightened (!) and decide you're gonna build a Box of Rocks--it sure does sound like a good way to "dispose of" some rocks!--I suggest my usual easy-to-grow-and-evergreen solution to cover it with!

With soil between the rocks (but I think you'd need a lot of peat or something "fibrous" around the outside edges to keep the soil from washing/falling out) you could easily stick a bunch of different sedums and hen & chicks in the cracks and in a couple years it would be covered with Evergreen Stuff! It would look like a planted rock wall--albeit a very geometric one! Even succulents need some moisture, and they grow/spread faster if they're watered more or less regularly in the beginning, so you would need to plan to stick a little sprinkler or something on top of it--something that would water very slowly, and then turn it on and let the water slowly filter down thru the whole thing.

If you decide to go with something like that, I'll send you starts for the sedums and semps! (And then there are links to those two succulent places on B2's "#2" thread where you can go into absolute Semp Heaven considering the possibilities!) Will throw in some 'White Nugget' iceplant too--FREE! :-D

Happy rock caging,
Skybird

Thank you Skybird!

There was a time when I had to spend several hours, several times a week, frozen in a chair. I was monitoring something important but, usually, the machine just did what it was supposed to do and if not, all sorts or alarms went off!

After several years of this . . . I tried origami and my interest was making boxes. (Obviously, I imagine myself as too practical of a person to be involved in any art-form.) I think this experience would have no value in making rock boxes but I thought I'd mention it.

>sigh Getting down to brass tacks, I believe that because of the nature of "welded wire" that 6' fencing would yield a cube somewhat smaller than 30". The cost would be about $7.50. A 6' wall would therefore run about $11/foot. My 200' garden addition . . . yikes!

You know, if I ever get a neighbor on the eastside like 1 or 2 of the people that have lived there . . . Yes, I can imagine filling a space of about 20' from near the house corner to the corner of the greenhouse with a 6' rock wall! Could have a water feature . . .

Steve

I am definitely going to try this using wire fencing to make a small wall to level off my backyard. It only needs to be a couple of feet tall.
Re planting sedum: I suppose you could leave the top open and submerge a pot of soil into the rocks for planting. There is also that yogurt/moss trick, that would be cool.
What about recycling wire lobster pots into gabion cages? That would look pretty cool.

I was thinking about what a planter might look like.

Remarkably, there are spiral gabion planters sold in Europe!

Imagine what something like this might look like in time -- even if nothing was deliberately planted in the walls.

Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: Kräuterspirale Gabione

Steve, with the number of rocks you have in your gardens, you might be onto something here ......

You could sell them as kits - chicken wire, some rebar, and a couple loads of rocks from your garden, and a blueprint.

Those are seriously cool. I am now wondering where I could put one.

I wonder if that wall at Amazon is in a public space? If so... I just may have to go check it out sometime (I'm just a short drive from Tacoma). :-)

Greenbean! It is real good to see you!

I haven't had internet thru most of last week . . .

Yes, it is in front of a new building there.

Steve

Thanks Steve!
I still pop in here now and again, this is still one of the friendliest forums. :-)
Gardening is a little different here in WA than it was in CO. I haven't seen a bit of hail all summer...

What does this look like to you?

It's kind of a blurry "capture" (sorry) but it looks a lot like a stack of plastic milk crates to me. However, it is specially made by an Australian company. I don't know if there is any plastic products company doing something similar in the US.

Yeah you bet, it is for a "green wall."

Might be smarter than a box of rocks . . .

Steve