How to fence garden beds in the country cheaply: how to do it yourself from improvised materials

Ordinary beds do not require time and effort to build a fence, but are in many ways inferior to fenced ones. It is not so difficult to make a fence, in any yard there are suitable materials, construction does not require any special knowledge. Consider how you can fence the beds in the country cheaply, what tools and materials you will need, how to make and install a fence, mistakes that should not be made.

Types of beds

The most common are several types of beds, which are usually found in home gardens and summer cottages. These are simple fences of different heights, the so-called "warm" and drained beds.

Box bed

The simplest type, the fence is made from boards of small height, which are installed around the perimeter of the garden. Has advantages in the form of low cost, easy installation, environmental friendliness. They provide easy care for plants: weeds do not penetrate inside, climbing plants do not go beyond the ridges, water does not spread, the earth does not erode. It is convenient to set arcs and fix the film if you need to make a greenhouse or protect plants from frost. The beds in the form of a box look aesthetically pleasing and neat, it is easy to maintain order inside and around them.

High-sided beds

Build on the rise from compost, on which fertile soil is poured on top. They are mainly used for growing zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers and potatoes, but any other vegetables, such as root crops, can be planted in them.For climbing plants, a vertical lattice is installed; temporary greenhouses can also be created if the sides are equipped with arcs. For the second and subsequent seasons, you will need to pour the earth, as it compacts and settles.

High beds are arranged on infertile or stony soil, the mound of earth compensates for their shortcomings. Plants on such ridges are easy to care for, no need to bend down to the ground, which will appeal to the elderly.

Warm beds

Heat is created by overheating fresh manure, which is placed at the very bottom of the structure. Manure is poured in the fall so that it settles down and partially ferments during the winter. After the snow melts and the manure warms up, it is covered with soil. The temperature created due to organics in the "warm" beds is higher than in ordinary ones, the process goes on constantly, until complete processing. Early vegetables and herbs, heat-loving plants are planted in them.Raised beds with heated compost will reliably protect plant roots from sudden frosts.

In autumn, manure processed into humus is selected and laid out in the garden, a new portion is laid in the beds. This method of growing is relevant in the northern regions, where it is important for plants to get as much heat as possible.

Drainage beds

Settle in clay soil or in areas where water stagnates. They are made according to this scheme: they take out the soil on the site 50 cm deep, pour sand 20 cm deep, sawdust on top, a layer of humus, and the last - the soil. In addition to the fact that the beds will be raised, they will drain better, the water will go down, the air will flow to the roots. Suitable for growing potatoes, root crops, vegetables and herbs.

Dimensions and drawings

You can choose any shape and size, at your discretion, but the design should not be too long and wide so that you can easily reach into any corner. The optimal dimensions are as follows: width - 0.9-1.2 m, height - 0.15-0.5 m. The length is arbitrary, but with a large length, you will need to install additional supports that support the fence.

The height of warm beds with compost is recommended to be at least 50 cm, for potatoes and root crops - at least 40 cm, for radishes, onions and lettuce, 20 cm is enough.

The shape of the ridges can also be any - rectangular (the most common), square, triangular, trapezoidal, even round and oval. These are all simple figures, so the drawings for the fenced beds are not complicated at all.

Locations

Like ordinary garden beds, fenced ones are located in the garden, where vegetables are usually grown in a summer cottage. How many of them there will be, and in what composition they will be, depends on the desire of the owner. The main thing is that it is convenient to approach and process them, so that they are located close to the water source. It is also necessary to take into account how the planted plants relate to light. If they are not shade-tolerant, structures should be located in an open area. You also need to make sure that they are placed where there is no wind.

The advantage of fenced beds is that they can be equipped even on an infertile area or on a concrete site, if the sides are high enough. Thus, it will be possible to solve the issue of expanding the territory on which plants can be grown and decorate the site, because it is permissible to plant not only vegetables, but also flowers and fragrant herbs on the beds.

Required tools and materials

You can build a garden bed from improvised materials: boards, timber, slab, lining, pieces of corrugated or flat slate, polycarbonate or plastic. Wooden material must be treated with an antiseptic to increase its service life. Impregnation will protect the tree from decay.

The size of the material should be such that at least half of it is in the ground in height, the rest will be the height of the beds. You can use bricks, natural stones, limestone, curbs, make concrete walls. You will need pegs to secure the structure.

You need to purchase non-woven material that is used to line the bottom of the site, straw, sawdust, humus, soddy soil. From the tools you need to take nails or screws, a hammer or a screwdriver, a hacksaw, a tape measure, a shovel.

Handmade

You can start making in the spring, when the soil dries out enough to be dug up. First you need to make a markup where the future structure will be located, install pegs and pull a rope between them. Then you need to prepare the material: cut into pieces along the length. You can immediately, even before being installed in the ground, connect them into a common structure, if it turns out to be not very large, it can be transferred. Such beds can be removed for the winter under shelter, which will make them reusable.

Dig trenches according to the markings, install the sides in them at half the height so that they can withstand the pressure of the soil covered in them. Check with a level how exactly horizontally they are located. Fasten in the corners, put, if necessary, props. Put a non-woven material on the bottom, which will act as a drainage. If there are mice or moles on the site, then you need to put a metal mesh with small cells on the bottom.Pour layers of sand, sawdust, compost and soddy soil. The top layer should almost reach the top of the sides so that the earth does not spill out during processing.

During the season, the soil will settle, this is a natural process, so from time to time you should add the earth to the previous level.

Further arrangement

For growing tall or trailing vegetable or ornamental plants, you can install a trellis next to the beds. Tastefully chosen trellis can enhance a simple structure design. The simplest trellis can be built from slats on which to fix a plastic mesh.

How to avoid mistakes

Common mistakes when arranging beds: they are made too long or wide, which makes it difficult to work with plants. The plants themselves, especially those in the middle, do not have enough light and air, they grow worse.

Wooden fencing is made from raw antiseptic material and rots quickly. Another common mistake: installing the sides not horizontally, but at an angle - on the beds with a slope, the water will flow down, stagnate there, and it will be dry on the opposite side.

Perennials, strawberries, all plants that remain for the winter cannot be planted in multi-tiered beds. Lack of soil to cover the roots causes them to freeze.

Examples of beautiful beds

Modern ideas in the design of beds make them not only functional, cheap and comfortable, but also beautiful. Various options for structures will decorate the site if you make them in the form of a pyramid, star, cascade.

Pyramidal beds are neat, convenient, save space, improve the illumination of plants. At each level of the original multi-level structures, a new type of crop or flowers can be placed.In an unusual star-shaped bed, you can plant a small decorative tree in the center, and flowers or greenery in the segments.

Cascading wooden structures, like pyramidal ones, have good characteristics, create better conditions for growing plants than on ordinary ridges. Light-loving plants are located on the upper rows, shade-tolerant ones are located below.

Fenced beds are a great solution if you want the site to bring profit in the form of a crop of self-grown plants, but also look aesthetically pleasing. You can place them in the garden and even in the yard near the house. Their advantages are obvious: it is easy to build and maintain them, you can use improvised materials for construction, which have long been waiting for use. They facilitate the care of plants, create optimal conditions for growth.

Recommended