I was working on a new idea in the center of the garden and cleared out an area that had small river rock and bricks.
The river rock was moved into the greenhouse to line the ground (originally, this spot in the garden had been built for the greenhouse, but a windstorm showed me it was a bad idea, as it had no protection, whereas now the greenhouse backs up to the garden fence).
I have been growing lavender starts in the greenhouse this spring (quite a few!) that I plan on planting around the house. It occurred to me that I could build a raised bed with the bricks, so I got busy.
The garden on the front has a bench on the far left side. I measure it for its length and replicate it for this bed. The bench sits about 8″ in from the edge of the fence, so I did the same.
I had to run to Home Depot and pick up more bricks; they range from 61 to 78 cents per brick, so it isn’t a massive cost. I paid out the farm fabric, put down landscaping pins, then laid the bricks on top. I don’t want grass intrusion.
Edge to edge, it is 42″ long. It was 16 bricks per layer.
It took 2 cubic feet of garden soil (not potting soil).
Knowing how much lavender grows, I planted 3 of my starts. In theory, lavender is deer and rabbit-resistant – we shall see how it fares here until it gets bigger. Hopefully, it works as it has in the past for me. Lavender is high in essential oils, and animals usually avoid it.
And there it is. Not a big bed, but I will most likely add another two of these over time. Just need to get more bricks first. It will give a line of dense foliage against the fence once they are mature, and also provide for pollinators. And well, lavender gives a lovely scent on the wind on warm days.
~Sarah