Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: Raised garden beds 4Feb 09, 2010 8:02 am We're having 400mm raised planters along one side of our garden, made of rendered concrete blocks, capped with sandstone bullnose pavers to match the rest of our paving. We're not doing it ourselves though, the pros are starting next week. Can you tell I'm excited...? I'll aim to take progress photos and post them, in case anyone's keen to see how it's done. I'll be at work some days though, so it'll be pot luck as to whether I get many pics. A fairly easy way to do raised beds from timber is to use treated pine sleepers. Check out Jellylegs' work here: http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=29361&p=405930&hilit=raised+beds#p405930 Re: Raised garden beds 5Feb 09, 2010 10:23 am by the way, I've seen some houses with DIY planter box. So could that be varied a bit and made as a garden bed ( no base)? Seems the material for a planter box is less chucky than sleepers ( i don't know what usually the timber used. Chipboard/ blueboard for building the feature wall?) Re: Raised garden beds 6Feb 12, 2010 2:39 pm Thanks so much for your suggestions and particularly for the link to the photos of the garden beds. That is exactly what I am attempting to achieve and by studying the photos I should be able to work out what to do. However, if I don't work it out and do it all wrong, I'll post the photos here so people know what NOT to do I'm off now to Bunnings to buy my treated pine sleepers. Thanks a heap! Re: Raised garden beds 8Feb 16, 2010 11:24 am We built a raised garden with the our left over bricks... It took my Dad and I two days to build and whilst it's not perfect - I reckon it's pretty great!! We did as Fu suggested and filled the bottom with the crappy soils from our yard and added good soil and mulch to the top half. I've already filled it with plants and want another one!! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Edit: I should add that neither my Dad nor I are brickies so don't look too closely ... My blog: http://artstitcheshome.blogspot.com Re: Raised garden beds 10Feb 16, 2010 11:09 pm Give it a going over with some Hydrochloric acid and those bricks should clean up very well. Good job Re: Raised garden beds 12Feb 17, 2010 3:52 pm build retaining wall to fence line other wise you could be responsible in replacing fence in the future. Landscape Design & Construction http://cherub.squarespace.com/ Re: Raised garden beds 14Feb 18, 2010 9:12 pm artstitches We built a raised garden with the our left over bricks... It took my Dad and I two days to build and whilst it's not perfect - I reckon it's pretty great!! We did as Fu suggested and filled the bottom with the crappy soils from our yard and added good soil and mulch to the top half. I've already filled it with plants and want another one!! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Edit: I should add that neither my Dad nor I are brickies so don't look too closely ... That's fab! Well done Re: Raised garden beds 15Feb 18, 2010 9:22 pm Hmmm, just spoke to a friend who will be building the beds for me and he questioned using treated pine over hardwood. Has anyone who has done these compared the cost? I only plan to stay here another five years or so and don't want to build something outrageous that will compete with the Great Wall of China! Re: Raised garden beds 16Feb 18, 2010 11:07 pm I dislike the use of hard wood because it sure as hell doesn't grow overnight. Some one fells a 300 year old tree so they can make a post or turn it into wood chips for a garden. Those timbers if used should be made into something truely beautiful. Something that displays the wonderful texures of the grains and can be polished to show up the colours. (If it has to be used at all that is) Pines will more often than not come from tree plantations and be much longer lasting. Over here anything less would be eaten by white ants in no time. Re: Raised garden beds 17Feb 19, 2010 1:52 pm Fu Manchu Give it a going over with some Hydrochloric acid and those bricks should clean up very well. Good job Thanks Fu - I have done this once already and cleaned it up a fair bit, but it probably needs another go - perhaps sometime when it's not so hot!! Thanks everyone for your kind words - I am very happy with it and visit it several times each day My blog: http://artstitcheshome.blogspot.com Re: Raised garden beds 18Feb 20, 2010 7:56 pm Fu Manchu I dislike the use of hard wood because it sure as hell doesn't grow overnight. Some one fells a 300 year old tree so they can make a post or turn it into wood chips for a garden. Those timbers if used should be made into something truely beautiful. Something that displays the wonderful texures of the grains and can be polished to show up the colours. (If it has to be used at all that is) Pines will more often than not come from tree plantations and be much longer lasting. Over here anything less would be eaten by white ants in no time. Hardwood sleepers are usually made from the remainders after the good parts have been used elsewhere. Plantation timber is usually heavily sprayed with pesticides and herbacides. The choice on environmental criteria is not so obvious as may first appear. Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. - Dale Carnegie Re: Raised garden beds 19Feb 20, 2010 8:13 pm Yeah it is a tough compromise. I still think a 300 year old tree deserves to live longer. Re: Raised garden beds 20Mar 01, 2010 9:57 pm artstitches We built a raised garden with the our left over bricks... It took my Dad and I two days to build and whilst it's not perfect - I reckon it's pretty great!! We did as Fu suggested and filled the bottom with the crappy soils from our yard and added good soil and mulch to the top half. I've already filled it with plants and want another one!! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Edit: I should add that neither my Dad nor I are brickies so don't look too closely ... Hey Artstitches, Loving looking at your progress on your blog, however would you be able to tell me where you ordered our pergola from?? cheers thanks chippy! here is the back of the wall which has not been backfilled yet. Here is the same back of the wall taken from the other end, behind the steps. As you… 5 2219 |