How to build your own raised bed out of natural stone

How to build your own raised bed out of natural stone

Benefits of natural stone

Natural stone has a number of advantages over other materials. Stone - not just natural stone, but stone in general - is extremely robust, so that raised beds made from it can be used for many years, even many decades. In addition, beds with brick borders serve other purposes than just keeping the filling material inside: Walls support slopes in sloping gardens, are suitable for creating a terrace garden or can also be used as seating or storage space. A creative variant of a raised bed, for example, is this one with a wide natural stone wall, on the edge of which a wide board has been embedded as a bench.

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Further advantages of natural stone raised beds are:

  • The natural cracks and small caves serve as shelter for small animals.
  • This ensures that beneficial insects such as hedgehogs, earwigs etc. feel comfortable in your garden.
  • The side joints between the stones can be filled with earth and planted.
  • Various rock garden plants are very suitable for this.
  • Natural stone blends naturally and harmoniously into its surroundings.
  • You can also use the stones to build paths or for the terrace.
  • The theme of “natural stone” runs like a red thread through your garden.

Which types of natural stone are suitable for raised bed construction?

Of course, natural stone is not just natural stone, there are countless different types suitable for building a raised bed. These differ in their texture, appearance and workmanship. Granite or basalt can be used for dark-colored raised beds. If you like it lighter, you can use sandstone. Constructions made of dolomite or crystalline marble, on the other hand, look very elegant. Of course, many of the rocks mentioned are quite expensive. You can save a lot of money by building in field stones - which you have collected yourself, for example.

Building a raised bed out of natural stone - step-by-step instructions

You can create a natural stone raised bed without mortar as a dry stone wall or as a masonry variant. For dry stone walls, irregularly shaped stones are best, which are stacked tightly on top of one another and whose joints are filled with potting soil or gravel if necessary. For mortared walls, on the other hand, stones with a straight, even edge are recommended, which are carefully placed on top of one another and firmly walled up. A foundation is required for both constructions, for which you dig a pit at least 20 centimeters deep. Their soil must be carefully compacted with a vibrator, then pour in gravel. This must also be condensed. For correspondingly high walls, depending on the statics, floor slabs cast from concrete or point foundations could also be useful.

Tips

So that your natural stone raised bed looks appealing for longer, you can clean it regularly. This can be done mechanically with a sponge, water and soap - or, especially in the case of materials such as marble or dolomite, with a steam or high-pressure cleaner. (€ 85.90 at Amazon *)