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Bricklaying & Repointing

Building a raised bed on clay soil

Anonymous user 23 February 2024 - 3.18 PM

I have a problem with heavy clay soil in my garden and want to build some raised flower beds (60 /90cm tall x 300 cm long ) using standard breeze blocks next to the brick boundary wall to aid drainage and help my plants grow better. I've dug 70cm deep trench by 50 cm wide and just need some general advice please on how to stabilise clay soil correctly? Do I need drain pipes/ soakaways/ landscape cloth or thick layer (8 cm deep )of gravel/ subbase/ sharps sand would do the trick followed by 5cm deep layer of cement topped up with double block footings as the base foundation ? Also is the wacker plate necessary to compact the footings for the bed? Many thanks in advance

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2 Answers

Alex Preston Builder & Joiner
Rating: 4.8 out of 54.8536 reviews
Doncaster
if you put a layer of crushed stone underneath with a landscape clothe as a topper over the whole area you want to use ,then fill the ret of the trench with concrete 100mm deep will do for what you are proposing, when you have built the block wall you can fit your raised bed with good soil which will drain better due to the way your base is built.it would be a good idea to whack the sub base stone down as long as it is not type 1 which will not drain, you are better using 2inch clean ,which will drain.happy gardening
Answered17 August 2018
0
EMERSON BRICKWORK
Rating: 5 out of 55515 reviews
Boston
Much as the Alex has said, I will just add one thing that I would put steel mesh in the concrete, lay the first 50mm of concrete then put in the mesh in then lay the next 50mm so you sandwich the steel mesh in between the two concrete layers. Remember clay is like building on top of jelly so very unstable so by putting in the mesh you basically have a one piece of concrete that's very hard to break especially in two if any of the ground below falls away. Hope this Helps.
Answered7 February 2019
0