raised bed over a brick patio
scvdsr
14 years ago
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jengc
14 years agoscvdsr
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Seeking advice on building brick raised garden bed on slope
Comments (10)Thanks for the frank assessment, marcinde. You can see gaps at the back corner because we haven't finished. We needed to get a rotor blade that could cut masonry, but we were trying to lay things out to get a sense of the sizes we needed. Yeah, the material we used was labeled "wall" at the big-box store where we got them. Perhaps misleading. Today we had a nice long talk at the local, independent garden center, showing them pictures of what we've done so far. They gave some advice on how we could salvage the work we've done and make use of the materials we have. First, they suggested using a surface bond on the inside of the walls, rather than dismantling the wall and using mortar. Next, line the inside with landscaper's cloth. Then, make sure to really tamp down that earth that we use to fill the bed, tamping down each layer as we go. Then leave it all for a week to further settle, before we start planting. We are going to give it a go, and hope for the best. But we welcome further input. Thanks, MSP & JLP...See MoreWould hypertufa reinforce a brick raised garden bed?
Comments (1)You want to coat the brick with hypertufa or you want to use it for mortar? Strongest would be to use straight mortar mix to cement the bricks. If you go strictly with a dry stack wall you need tie-back brick/stone. A tie-back is a longer piece of brick/stone/wire/metal strap that goes from the wall back into the soil to hold/anchor the wall. If this doesn't make sense do a search online for how to build a dry stack wall. Depending on how large or many tie-backs you use, you could be taking up planting space....See MoreBuilding my first raise bed... on brick patio
Comments (2)4x4 is a great amount of space to work with. But I would suggest a couple changes to your plan. If I'm reading this right you probably have much more depth then you need. SFG generally says to start with 6 inches of dirt unless you are putting in something like carrots. My beds are made of 8 inch pine boards with dirt going up just over 6 inches. As long as you can support the tomato it should be fine in a raised bed. I would actually be more concerned with the melon--melons like to spread and travel. It could take over the whole patio unless you can direct it out of the way. Last, treated wood can be a contentious topic--some kinds of treated wood is made with chemicals that the EPA says should not be in contact with food crops. I would suggest saving your money and using untreated wood. Especially since this will be raised and on a patio you may be surprised with how well the wood holds up. Good luck and have fun! :)...See Moreraised beds using brick/stone edge
Comments (4)Depends on how much you want the bed raised. I have used Bullet-style edger stones (Edgestone is one trade name) two layers high, about 6" total. These will handle round or serpentine layouts, comes in colors. The concrete blocks mentioned above are fine but they are very heavy and present a razor, abrasive edge. I have topped mine with 2x8 wood. When the cement blocks are placed with the voids side facing up, I press-fit small pieces of wood every second void and attached long pieces of 2x8 wood to them, eliminating that sharp cement edge. This also holds the blocks in perfect alignment long-term. The ground beneath any multiple-layers of concrete blocks will have to be very compact to prevent uneven settling....See Moresinfonian
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