How do I best build a raised bed at the bottom of my driveway?
July 26, 2019 8:34 AM Subscribe
We cut down the dying shrubs at the bottom of our driveway and want to raise a bed over the roots to plant something else.
What is the best way to build a raised bed in this situation?
Pics and details within.
Pictures
We cut down the dying shrubs at the end of our driveway. We want to leave the roots in place for driveway structural purposes. We are hoping to raise a bed over the stumps. We picture walls just tall enough to plant something like hostas (which are doing well in that area already); so maybe a 2' tall bed.
The driveway is 10 ft wide and the footprint of the dead shrubs extended downhill about 2 ft to the old, wooden rail in the first pic. We could extend that another half foot or so before the grade steepens.
Other considerations:
The driveway, 25' up to the street, has a similar grade to the pictured area - so water running down the driveway will naturally flow against the bottom of this raised bed. We average 3.75" rain/month.
The rest of the overgrown area will be returned to grass.
So we are picturing raising a bed at the end of the driveway with these dimensions:
10' - to match the driveway
2.5' - footprint of shrubs
2ish' deep and filled with topsoil
What is the best (wooden) material to build raised beds?
Will we need a foundation/bury part of the bed walls?
Do we need to add something into the design that will divert any water running down the driveway from eroding the raised bed wall?
Thanks for any insights!
Pictures
We cut down the dying shrubs at the end of our driveway. We want to leave the roots in place for driveway structural purposes. We are hoping to raise a bed over the stumps. We picture walls just tall enough to plant something like hostas (which are doing well in that area already); so maybe a 2' tall bed.
The driveway is 10 ft wide and the footprint of the dead shrubs extended downhill about 2 ft to the old, wooden rail in the first pic. We could extend that another half foot or so before the grade steepens.
Other considerations:
The driveway, 25' up to the street, has a similar grade to the pictured area - so water running down the driveway will naturally flow against the bottom of this raised bed. We average 3.75" rain/month.
The rest of the overgrown area will be returned to grass.
So we are picturing raising a bed at the end of the driveway with these dimensions:
10' - to match the driveway
2.5' - footprint of shrubs
2ish' deep and filled with topsoil
What is the best (wooden) material to build raised beds?
Will we need a foundation/bury part of the bed walls?
Do we need to add something into the design that will divert any water running down the driveway from eroding the raised bed wall?
Thanks for any insights!
Depending on where you live, you might get pooling at the bottom of the driveway in the winter, turning it into an icy death trap. I'd build in some sort of drainage -- I'd imagine some PVC running front-to-back at the bottom would allow the water to drain, if you're not worried about how that will look.
posted by DoubleLune at 10:19 AM on July 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by DoubleLune at 10:19 AM on July 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
I live in ice and snow territory. Consider making them diamonds, the sides being not parallel to the driveway, so that if you slide on ice, you aren't pinned, but are likely to just strike a glancing blow. I know people who have placed decorative rocks or masonry planters in similar situations and rued the day. Not me of course, cough. The ditch got me once, snowbank got me once.
posted by theora55 at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2019
posted by theora55 at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2019
You can purchase stackable raised bed corners - like this - that make it much easier to deal with a slope. You can stack the corners to make stairstep-like beds.
As far as drainage goes, I'd maybe leave enough room in front to bury a drain tile -- drain tiles are corrugated black hollow tubes perforated to allow water to drain. Or you could just dig a little swale to channel any water away from the driveway. I don't think you'll have any problem with drainage in the raised beds themselves.
Get some good-quality soil to fill the raised beds -- not generic "topsoil." Mix it up a bit ... add some compost and some commercially-bagged garden soil and maybe try to dig some of your native soil into that too. I like adding peat moss as well, but coir is another option that is a bit more sustainable.
posted by Ostara at 5:23 PM on July 26, 2019
As far as drainage goes, I'd maybe leave enough room in front to bury a drain tile -- drain tiles are corrugated black hollow tubes perforated to allow water to drain. Or you could just dig a little swale to channel any water away from the driveway. I don't think you'll have any problem with drainage in the raised beds themselves.
Get some good-quality soil to fill the raised beds -- not generic "topsoil." Mix it up a bit ... add some compost and some commercially-bagged garden soil and maybe try to dig some of your native soil into that too. I like adding peat moss as well, but coir is another option that is a bit more sustainable.
posted by Ostara at 5:23 PM on July 26, 2019
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If you just level it and fill it up, the grass around it will root in and you won't lose dirt or anything. Depending on how big the slope is you can either dig in to level it, or make one side of the structure taller - I would just dig in. You really just need to make a square (rectangular, but square) box out of 2 by 10 or 2 x 12 or whatever you like PT, and then dig in the high side until the thing is level on all four sides.
I don't think water will be a problem for the PT unless it's really raging. It may eventually rot a lil and then you'll have to spend like $12 for a new board.
Don't do like me and buy the $1.49 topsoil bags from the hardware store. It's not really soil and it's got all kinds of crap in it and the ph is all jacked up.
posted by ftm at 8:41 AM on July 26, 2019 [1 favorite]