Are there instructions for building a bed like that?
Oh, you straight up donāt need instructions, if you saw the component parts youād probably understand it right away. but I can explain it here for clarity.
- buy the bricks with slots in them at home depot or wherever. Those are the bricks weāve got at the corner. Buy a stack for each corner as high as you want your bed.
- buy 2x4s. They slot right into those bricks. Because Iām a cheapskate I bought fence slats instead - they are skinnier so I had to supplement the extra space with other wood at the edges. In a way I wish Iād bought 2x4s because I think these fence boards are gonna last one more year at best. 2X4s would last for ages.
- buy some rebar, about a foot taller than the height (stacked per corner) of the bricks you bought.
- cut the 2x4s to your desired length.
- stack up the bricks and slot the 2x4s in
- bang the rebar through the center of the bricks (thereās a hole there already) so youāre sure theyāre well embedded in the ground.
- if you feel like it you can get some little caps for the top of the rebar so you donāt poke your eye out when bending over to look at stuff.
thatās it! itās real easy, and everything is kinda designed to slot together so thereās not too much to worry about aside from choosing your length and sawing boards.
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Thanks! That sounds super easy.
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It is! Plus then forever you get to point at it and go āI built thatā even though it probably takes 30 minutes.
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An owl has been in our neighborhood recently. I can hear it hooting at night when Iām going to sleep and its the BEST!! I hope it hangs around for a long time.
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Leave it a treat
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How does one encourage owls to hang out in your garden I wonder. Weāve got loads of birds during the day but I havenāt heard anything at night.
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We bought our house about 2 years ago. Largely because we loved the garden and itās way bigger than what youād normally get in this part of the city. The houses are 100+ years old and built before the area built up much.
The previous owner had planted loads of lovely flowers so weāve got pinks and whites (and some daffodils) in the garden pretty much all the way from spring to the start of winter. Neither of us really know much about gardening so weāve been muddling through as best as we can and thankfully havenāt let anything die yet. Itās been a lovely experience and feels even more special because weāre caretaking someone elseās creation. And as a reward we get lovely cherry blossoms, peonies and roses (those are the only ones I recognise) and a beautiful idyllic haven for our toddler to run around in.
Will post pics at some point.
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Dear Spring,
Please can you commit one way or another for more than a few days. I donāt expect super heat, but I also donāt want it to go from the coldest night temperature to the hottest day temperature in two days or a drop of 22 degrees in less than a week!
With regards,
Someone who wants to wear shorts for the next few months.
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Posting another hot website.
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I ripped apart some pallets and made some raised beds after putting it off for ages. Iād always miss planting season and day of do it next year. I thought getting some free pallets would be the way to go but it was so miserable hammering them apart and Iām so done. It wasnāt until the third one that I realized I could use a circular saw to cut the nailed edges off and just hammer out the center rail. Iām going to get top soil tomorrow.
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nice! Thatās a great way of doing them. Iāve made a few and they will rot after a couple years, but the price is right!
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When I made mine in washington lining the inside with thick plastic film between the dirt and the wood kept them in functional condition for 10 years until I moved. I imagine that Illinois is going to be more brutal between the hotter summers and freezing winters. Weāll see. I miss having access to cheap cedar fencing though. My second set of beds held up a lot better than pine.
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A lovely 23Ā°C (73.4Ā°F) South of Paris today and a chance to sit in my neighbours garden to enjoy the view and the silence
Hereās to the summer coming
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