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Re: Raised beds



Dara wrote:

> We do not have conventional bed raising materials.
> We have stone, but at the current time we do not have cement

> Does any one have any ideas about what we could use, or how we could

> use, any of the naturally available materials that we have?

On a limited budget, you should investigate gabions filled with the stones
you take out of the ground. Gabions are sort of like packing cases or
cagelike boxes made out of wire and wire mesh. You can make them yourself,
but it can be relatively inexpensive to buy them. The cages are filled
with stones, wired shut, and wired together for stability. Then another
row is wired on, filled with stones, and wired shut. Etc.
You can see gabions used as slope retainers in highway construction. They
are used for bridge and home foundations in some areas.
Filled gabions have a "sort of square" appearance, but the frames aren't
rigid so it is easy to accommodate the terrain. You can get a clean low
wall that looks less rigid than a block or lumber wall, and seems to be
made of stone - you only see the wire close up. You could also try
establishing cascading plants in the cracks between the rocks. This seems
like it would blend with a forested site. Use your shingles as coping to
cover the top surface of the wall. The only tools you will need are a good
pair of fencemaker's pliers and a good pair of gloves. The pros use
vibrators to compact the rocks, but you are not building a bridge. You may
wish to lay lengths of drainage pipe at intervals before you lay the first
layer of gabions, but they should be porous enough.
Try searching on the word gabion on the Net.

Ben

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