This is not a very good scan, did my best from a magazine, but it is how I picture doing some beds in my woods garden. I have tons of rocks on my property and everyone gives them away. Trying to stay cement free.
I use a plain stack of concrete blocks, two high, with no fill, mortar, or foundation. Just stack & go. I lay scrap 8" tiles on them as cap stones. That holds up well and actually looks surprisingly nice. It's also easy to lean on.
I have a raised bed garden that I put brick for the border rather than concrete block. My mistake is that I used newspaper as a weed barrier. I had read that in past times, a few layers of newspaper would help keep down the weeds and would degrade easily. The newspaper would probably work if you are covering over a barren spot or basic grass. I experimented with this in a real wild area, which ended in a fail. Weeds were popping up this year so I will be reconstructing come spring.
A few layers of newspaper are not nearly enough of a barrier, and will probably not be sufficient to stop some weeds from penetrating (particularly weeds that rely on corms and bulbs for propagation). Also, water the ground thoroughly before placing down the weed barrier. Watering the soil will cause the seed to germinate (depending on their season for germination) and exhaust their resources trying to penetrate a weed barrier that still has its barrier integrity intact. Newspaper will eventually break down and viable seeds that have been dormant will get their chance to germinate and re-infest the garden bed. Cardboard as sheet mulch / weed barrier will generally last longer than layers of newspaper.
This idea would be useful for any area that needs screening like water butts, trash cans, worm farm, composting space etc. Made mostly from recycled pallets.
Part of the reason for newspaper is that it breaks down and adds to the soil, which is a plus. Cardboard would take much longer to breakdown which is pro- keeps weeds away longer but I have never heard of someone working cardboard into the soil.
totally using the cinder block idea! I made a raised bed out of some old balance beams that belonged to my kids. It was really easy to take apart and move the next year when I was done with it- not quite deep enough, but easy to add an extra board on to for next year.
I do....but only after it has been composted Cardboard in the soil, (because of its high carbon content) will draw down nitrogen for the microflora/microfauna to break it down. Poorly fertilised soils will take quite a while for the cardboard to break down. It will help with moisture retention though. Composting worms will chew through it if the cardboard is thoroughly sodden.
Wow, they are looking great I had installed wooden raised beds in my balcony They are great for growing vegetables and flowers,especially for those who have a limited space to have a garden. Got some tomatoes and potatoes last month ...Thanks to 'In the backyard' , raised garden bed experts in Canada.
<iframe src="HomeMade Modern, Episode 16 – DIY Concrete Planter from HomeMade-Modern.com on Vimeo" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> Now, THERE is a surprise, an experiment that worked!! Sometimes luck beats skill inside out. Gotta admit, I fear messing with that coding, as unsightly as it is, in case it's important to the link.