Content
- Raised concrete bed - as practical as it is inexpensive
- Concrete blocks enable a great variety
- Dry walls and mortared walls
- System stones made of concrete / lightweight construction systems
- Inexpensive manhole rings
- Tips
Cement blocks are just one variant of the concrete raised bed
Raised concrete bed - as practical as it is inexpensive
High beds made of stone have an almost unlimited life. For this you can use all kinds of stones, although natural stones are often very expensive. A cheaper alternative is concrete blocks that no longer have to look artificial.
Concrete blocks enable a great variety
Concrete is not only an inexpensive, but also a very versatile material. You can use exposed concrete to build a raised bed, perhaps creating an interesting contrast to the naturally designed garden. However, there are also a number of concrete blocks, which are externally modeled natural stones. With their coarsely carved visible side, the broken edges as well as different colors in a natural look, such stones also look very pleasant in the natural garden.
Dry walls and mortared walls
Another advantage of concrete - in addition to its price and its diversity - is the significantly lower weight compared to natural stones. This comes about during the construction of walls to bear, for example, if a raised bed is to be built on a slope. For high natural stone walls you only need very large and heavy stones for static reasons. Accordingly, the edges of the bed are very thick, so that hardly any bedding remains. You can also build dry stone as well as mortared walls from concrete blocks, in particular placing mortar walls on a frost-free concrete foundation. The heavier the construction, the deeper and stronger the foundation is to build. In addition, an inner liner is always recommended for mortared walls, so that the mortar joints are not porous and thus yielding due to the permanently acting moisture.
System stones made of concrete / lightweight construction systems
Easier to install are so-called system stones, which practically hook into each other thanks to grooves, resulting in stable walls. Because these are hollow stones, you can build even very high walls thanks to their low weight. To make the hollow stones heavier and thus more stable against the internal pressure, you can also fill them with gravel, gravel, grit or sand. The manufacturers also always give instructions on which wall height a mortar foundation or special glue between the stones must be used. If in doubt, ask a specialist for static calculations. Who wants to build curvy raised beds, can resort to concrete blocks with a conical shape. These allow the easy construction of curves. As with dry stone walls, here and there you can build wider joints so that they can be planted or used as shelter for small animals.
Inexpensive manhole rings
Parts made of precast concrete manhole pipes can also serve as a raised bed and have virtually unlimited lifespan. In addition, such raised beds can be set up quickly and easily - you just need to put one or more pothet rings of the pasen size to the desired location, fill and plant. However, you will need a machine for transport - for example, a small excavator - because they are very heavy and unwieldy. Smaller rings can also be rolled by hand to the site if you have them unloaded vertically. There are the manhole rings at building material dealers in many different sizes and with different diameters, with only rings up to about 150 centimeters are practical - up to this size you reach the bed center just like that. Chess rings can be placed in the groove system so that you can build the raised bed at the desired height. Since they are impermeable to water, you also need no foil.
Tips
Also concrete slabs can give a stable high wall. For example, you can simply erect upright concrete slabs in a bed of dry mortar - the raised bed is ready. Concrete palisades can be buried upright in the ground and thus form a stable bed frame.