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Rock Wall for Raised Bed
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Posted by GardenGal_CO z5 CO (My Page) on Fri, Sep 23, 05 at 12:08
| I have put in a rock wall around a pre-existing raised bed. I removed railroad ties that were decaying and replaced with rock, two layers high (8 to 10 inches) and dry stacked. I still have to replace/add more dirt to the raised bed area and then a mulch.
My question or concern is that there are small gaps between the rocks and dirt is seeping out between the rocks (but only when I water and I am hoping it's because I stirred up the dirt and it is no longer compact).. will this continue for the life of the garden or will the gaps eventually fill in and the dirt will stop filtering out?
If this is something that will continue to happen, what do I need to do to prevent this? Mortar? A barrier between the rock and the dirt of some sort? Help the process and pack the dirt behind the wall?
Thanks for your suggestions and help. Kristi |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Rock Wall for Raised Bed
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| plant something small and trailing in it----like moss rose or succulents--will look awesome! |
RE: Rock Wall for Raised Bed
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| Gardengal, I have similar questions about a rock wall we just built. We don't have a lot of problems with dirt running out yet, partly becuase the rains haven't come yet (that is, they hadn't until today) and I think because my husband quite solidly compacted the soil behind each course of rock before putting the next one on. My back-up strategy is to put plants with fairly fibrous root systems near the biggest gaps and hope that they will catch and hold any remaining debris over time. The book we used for guidance did say that the gaps would eventually stopper themselves with bits of stuff. |
RE: Rock Wall for Raised Bed
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| Geo-textile behind the wall will do it but if the wall is already built it is too late for that. Buy a large bag of the kind of moss used for hanging baskets and push that into the gaps. |
RE: Rock Wall for Raised Bed
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- Posted by Mikey SoCA-Z10-22/23 (My Page) on
Thu, Oct 20, 05 at 22:47
| I suggest laying in weed barrier fabric behind the stones and then backfill. An alternative would be to backfill with pea gravel. |
RE: Rock Wall for Raised Bed
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| I just finished one this summer that is about 2 feet tall. As I backfilled, I wet down the soil about every six inches. I have seen no seepage from any gaps. I did plant a few plants in some gaps but not to stop soil loss. With your shorter wall, you shouldn't have any problems. |
RE: Rock Wall for Raised Bed
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| The soil should stop moving in time unless it is very fine. Best suggestion has already been made about planting small plants between stones in face of wall. Alternatively, carefully push or hammer in smaller stone between the larger stones. I sometimes leave gaps in dry stone walls so that people can plant alpines but I live in Scotland so the choice of plant is yours to suit your area. |
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