The beds are high with their own hands from flat slate. Advantages of a high bed over a regular one

Systematization brings order to any sphere. This can apply to both personal items and serious production. This approach is also valid for growing different cultures. To make it easier to maintain the territory in the country or personal plot you can make beds from slate with your own hands. How exactly should they be located and what will be needed for their arrangement? This will be discussed in the article.

Do you need such beds

Equipping beds using slate is worth at least due to the following nuances:

• light weight of the material;
• decay resistance;
• low price;
• long service life;
• ease of self-assembly;
• resilience to climate change;
• resistance to moisture;
• nice appearance.

The slate is light in weight, so individual sheets are easy to transport around the site to the installation site. Besides, individual elements it is easy to dissolve into products of the required height, which will make it possible to build beds in several tiers. The service life of slate fences is 10 years or more. At the same time, the material is not subjected to decay and other biological effects that can occur in the soil. Slate is not destroyed by fertilizers applied to the soil. Compared to wood, slate is ideal option. Swelling wood deforms and collapses. With a constant stay in the ground, it begins to rot.

Slate perfectly tolerates sudden changes in temperature, so there is no need to dismantle the fences of the beds for the winter. The material makes it possible to give the rows a neat and complete look. Its cost is low, so everyone can build similar beds for themselves. Slate beds are resistant to fire, so there will be no fire. Those who have already managed to build slate beds for themselves notice a noticeable growth of plants. This is due to the fact that thanks to slate, the likelihood of destruction of the root system by various pests is reduced. The material also serves as a barrier to the weed's root system.

There are also disadvantages to this method of designing beds. One of them is the increased heating of the walls from the sun's rays. This leads to the fact that moisture from the soil evaporates somewhat faster than without fences. Considering this, it is necessary to frequent watering which will increase water consumption. Some gardeners believe that slate itself is toxic and capable of transmitting harmful substances cultivated plants. This shortcoming can be offset paintwork. If you apply this approach, you can further extend the life of the fence.

Note! For coloring slate sheets, it is better to choose paints on acrylic base or polymer compounds.

For the successful construction of beds, it is important to follow several simple recommendations. Among them are the main ones:

• the correct location of the beds;
• sufficient deepening of the fencing sheets;
• the correct width of the beds;
• proper organization of row spacing.

The beds should be arranged in such a way that they most were under the sun. This means that they must run from east to west. The correct width of the beds should not exceed 120 cm. This size is not a categorical rule, but it is easier to care for such beds. In order for the slate sheets to withstand the pressure of the soil, they must be deepened by 20 cm. The space between the beds should be enough for free movement. It can be posted paving slabs or covered with straw or sawdust. This will prevent weed growth and make it easier to move.

Safety

Working with slate has its own characteristics, so you should follow the basic safety rules so as not to harm your health. It is necessary to cut asbestos-cement sheets using angle grinders. By itself, this tool is quite dangerous. It will require a disc for concrete. It is better to take a non-segmented disk so that the sheets do not burst. During the cut, a large amount of dust is scattered. Respiratory and visual organs must be protected. In the first case, a respirator is used. A regular petal will do, which needs to be changed as it gets dirty. When working with a grinder, it is better to use earplugs or special headphones.

Straight slate can be cut in any direction. If we are talking about wavy, then you need to shorten it across the waves. Only in this case, you can achieve the perfect result. During operation, it is advisable to periodically moisten the disc. This will prolong its service life and reduce the amount of dust.

Making beds

Ordinary

The process of building slate beds with your own hands is simple, so even an unprepared master can handle it. On a sheet of paper, you can schematically draw a piece of land to scale. On it choose best location for beds. After marking on a sheet of paper, the designations are transferred to the ground. The territory on the site is marked with pegs and twine. Next, the slate is cut into elements of the required size. A trench 20 cm deep is dug around the perimeter. Slate sheets are inserted into it, aligned vertically and fixed with soil. To make the slate sheet more reliable, you can make several props. To do this, the reinforcement is cut into pieces and racks of reinforcement are hammered close to the sheet. Examples finished flower beds can be seen in the photo.

Working with flat slate in general has a similar algorithm, but there are some nuances. The total length of one sheet of such material is 175 cm. To make the walls without residues, you can divide it into 100 and 75 cm, or 25 cm and three 50 cm each. The slate elements, which will be located perpendicularly, are interconnected by means of metal corners . Beforehand, it is necessary to drill holes for the bolts so that the slate does not burst during the fastening process.

Note! Slate must be placed in prepared trenches. If you try to hammer it into the thickness of the soil, then you can damage it and you will need to new leaf material.

High

One of the main problems in the processing of beds is the need to bend the back. That is why many choose high beds for themselves. Thanks to them, the load on the back is reduced significantly. Raised beds also make it easy to plant crops in areas that are sloping. There is additional tips, which will increase the efficiency of such beds:

• special composition of the soil;
• drainage device;
• take into account the features of the root system;
• using a configuration other than rectangular.

For high beds, it is easier to prepare a special soil composition that can accommodate additional nutrients. In addition, the density of the soil in such a slate bed can be selected depending on the root system of plants. Due to the fact that the slate bed has a sufficient height, excess moisture is removed faster. Raised beds are easy to turn into warm beds and plant out early in the spring. The advantage of high beds is the possibility of planting plants that normally grow with props. Here, the slate walls themselves will act as supports, because the plant can simply hang from them.

Note! At high altitude the walls of the beds need to be strengthened. This can be done with pins, as described above, or with a wire. In the second case, the wire is pulled through the slate sheets, which are located on opposite sides, and is well pulled together, uniting the walls into monolithic structure.

Mittlider

Jacob Mittlider is a well-known American specialist who grows various crops. He developed interesting solution for strawberry beds. The bottom line is that the width of such a slate construction is only 45 cm.

The advantages of this solution are minimal effort when processing the area where strawberries are planted. You can arrange individual bushes in such a way that they do not interfere with each other. This has a positive effect on fertility. With this arrangement, the roots receive a sufficient amount of moisture, but do not rot.

After fencing the site with slate, chips, wood chips or sawdust are placed inside. The layer of this material should reach 20 cm. Fertile soil or special composition. The beds, fenced with slate, are placed at a distance of 90 cm from each other. The aisles are covered with agrofibre. This is necessary to prevent weed growth. The sawdust cushion provides additional nutrients and prevents the soil from cracking. In addition, during decay, they heat up upper layer soil.

From such flower beds you can get several times more crop than from a plot that is decorated in the usual way. Thanks to a special temperature regime plants absorb moisture and useful substances that it contains at a faster rate, this also applies to fertilizers. In some cases, agrofiber is additionally laid on top of the strawberries so that only the bushes stick out, and the soil is completely covered. Additional system installed drip irrigation. Berries always stay clean and weed removal is kept to a minimum. A video on the construction of slate flower beds is below.

row spacing

The ease of movement around the site will depend on what approach was used to organize row spacing. After installing the slate walls for the beds, it is necessary to compact the space between the beds well. For this, a manual tamper is used. On the prepared soil can be laid out natural stone, brick, paving slabs or pour aisles with concrete. This approach makes it possible to process even after rain. Some gardeners sow lawn grass between the beds, because it quickly absorbs moisture.

Summary

As you can see, the construction of beds using slate is a simple task that everyone can handle. The shape of the slate beds can be selected depending on the size and shape of the plot. In some cases, the beds can be decorated with a rhombus or a triangle. It is convenient to grow cabbage on high beds, because this greatly facilitates its cleaning. In some areas, high slate beds paired with greenhouses are the only way out for normal crop production. This is due to permafrost or too low temperatures even during the summer months.

May 29th, 2015

Hello dear readers! Today we will talk about. This year my husband built one of these in our garden. Remember, I told you how we arrange high ? The lower layers of such a bed are various organic remains from the garden, garden, kitchen or yard: branches, torn weeds, sawdust, bark, fallen leaves, needles, vegetable peelings, etc. The top layer is a fertile layer of earth, on which we sow seeds. Decaying in the garden, organic matter releases heat, contributing to the creation of a favorable microclimate for vegetables. It is this facility that allows us every summer to consistently receive early and high yields delicious homemade cucumbers, and the “stuffing” of the garden in a couple of years turns into a light and fertile humus.

Fences for high beds:andwhat to do?

We used to make a fence for a high cucumber bed from different old boards. But this year, our box, built “from what was”, completely fell into disrepair, and it was necessary to decide what to make a new bed fence from. By chance, we just had an old slate in stock. Thinking, the husband decided to make boards for high beds from this material.

Harm of slate for beds: is it there?

At first, I had doubts about the harm of slate for beds. Would such material be safe for developing plants and, ultimately, for our health? I climbed, just in case, on the Internet, I read that asbestos, which is part of the slate, can harm us only if it turns into a dusty state. Therefore, when cutting slate sheets, put on goggles and a respirator or gauze bandage during work. Also ask children and loved ones not to approach you during this period to be sure of their safety.

And about the fact that slate brought some harm to plants, no matter how much I was looking for, I did not find materials. the only unpleasant moment here there may be the ability of the slate to heat up very strongly, supposedly from this there is some risk of damage to the roots. To prevent this from happening, many advise painting the slate bed in White color or whiten with lime. Or just water the plantings more often.

In all other respects, slate as a fence for beds is no worse than many other building materials, and even better in terms of durability and resistance to decay. The fragility of slate, I think, should not be taken into account. After all, we are not going to beat on the sides of our beds with a hammer!

We build high beds from slate

For those who are interested in how you can make high beds from slate with your own hands, my husband tried to describe the construction process in detail. Below is his explanation:

1. We cut the standard slate sheet with a grinder across the “waves” so that we get two pieces of the same size. We prepare in this way a sufficient amount of slate. If there is no grinder, you can use a slate nail and a hammer. We punch holes along the chip line, then we break the slate on a bar. How more holes, the smoother the cleavage line will be.

2. We mark on the ground a place to install the beds with the help of pegs and a rope. We take out the soil around the perimeter of the future beds to a width bayonet shovel to make a ditch. Its depth should be made at least 25-30 centimeters.

3. We install vertically sheets of slate into the ditch (so that the “waves” are vertical, for greater rigidity of the structure), starting from the corners. At the corner, perpendicular sheets must be fastened together using a board 12-15 cm wide and long, equal height beds. The plate is installed vertically with inside, then we drill holes through the slate, we twist the screws with a washer into them from the outside. Take galvanized roofing screws. If they are with a drill, then you do not need to drill holes for them first.

4. We install and align the rest of the slate sheets in height, joining them with each other “overlapping”. For horizontal and vertical alignment use building level. On top of the outside, we fix a wooden block 5x5 cm around the perimeter flush with the slate sheets, screwing the screws into it from the inside of the garden through the slate.

5. On top of the bar along the perimeter, we lay flat and fasten a board 12-15 cm wide with self-tapping screws in such a way as to cover the bar and the “waves” of slate. After that, it is desirable to paint it on the outside (or whitewash).

We put organic matter in the garden

6. We fill the ditch on both sides, put organic matter in the bed (manure, branches, branches, grass, tops, sawdust, needles, etc.), large fragments (thick branches, branches, etc.) are placed at the very bottom beds. After stuffing, it is necessary to carefully spill the organic matter with water (you can add bio-fertilizer for compost, such as "Baikal" EM-1, to speed up the decomposition processes and enrich the compost with beneficial bacteria), cover polyethylene film for a couple of days so that the compost "caught fire". After that, a layer of humus is laid on the organic matter. Humus can be laid immediately after stuffing, without waiting for the compost to “light up”.

Tall, or as they are also called, smart beds, you can increasingly see on amateur sites. Moreover, they are equipped with various materials. For example, a flat slate made from an asbestos-cement mixture is great for a frame. The article will discuss how to equip such structures with your own strength and hands.

What are good such beds and what are their disadvantages

Before proceeding with the construction of the side of the beds from any material, in order to avoid disappointment, it is advisable to study its features. Flat slate sheets are endowed with the following advantages:

• Fairly low cost. Even buying new ones will cost less than some other materials.
• Installation of a side is carried out quickly and easily. Any amateur can handle it. Creating a frame from other materials is not required.
• Slate beds can last enough long term without losing its shape. Moreover, the quality of the already used material is in no way inferior to the new one.

Advice. If you want to create something exclusive on the site, the fences can be painted in different colors.

• The beds with a slate frame are reliably protected from rodents. Through such a barrier, the bear and the wireworm will not get to the roots and root crops.
• The material is not afraid of water and is not subject to corrosion, rot, etc.

Slate bed frame

• Slate beds can be equipped not only rectangular shape, but also square, trapezoidal, polygonal. This allows you to create a garden of an interesting, not quite ordinary look.

Of the obvious disadvantages of framing from flat sheets, one can name the ability to heat up on hot days, as a result of which the bed dries quickly and suffers from overheating, and the fragility of the material - it does not withstand heavy loads and shocks.

Is it harmful to use a building material as a frame or not

Disputes about the harmful effects of slate on the soil have been going on for a very long time. Some people are categorically against the installation of such a bed in their dacha or garden plot. How valid are such fears? The main substances used in the production of any type of slate are as follows:

• ordinary water;
• cement;
• asbestos fiber.

In turn, the last component is different:

• amphibole-asbestos;
• chrysotile asbestos.

The first is made on the basis of natural materials and does not collapse under the action of acids, while the second tends to collapse in an acidic environment. In European countries, slate based on chrysotile asbestos is not used - there is simply no such natural material. As a roofing material, only a coating is used, for the production of which amphiol-asbestos is involved. The harm of such a composition has indeed been proven by scientists.

But here it should be borne in mind that slate itself does not pose a danger. It is not capable of saturating the soil and the surrounding air with dangerous substances. Harmful asbestos dust, which can enter the respiratory tract of a person. As a result of prolonged contact, which is possible only at work, it can cause pathological changes in the bronchi and lungs, including the formation of malignant tumors.

Attention! To avoid getting harmful dust particles into the respiratory tract and mucous membranes when sawing slate at home, be sure to use a respirator and goggles.

Roofing material, which includes chrysotile-asbestos, is produced in Russia. Its harmfulness has not been proven. Therefore, when buying material, if you want to equip slate beds, you should definitely be interested in the manufacturer and the constituent substances.

How to build slate beds

Creating a high bed in a slate frame is as follows.

1. Now on sale you can find ready-made sheets especially for beds. But if there are none, the standard material is cut across with a grinder or using other tools into two identical parts. As already mentioned, precautions must be taken when doing this.
2. On the site where the garden is planned, markup is carried out. On it, with the help of an ordinary shovel, they dig a trench 25-30 cm deep and 20-25 cm wide.
3. Prepare wooden corners from boards with a width of about 15 cm and a length equal to the height of the beds. They will be located in the corners of the structure from the inside.
4. Slate sheets, along the edges of which holes should be drilled, are installed along the perimeter of the garden bed and, using galvanized self-tapping screws, are attached to wooden corners.
5. After bonding, the structure is leveled with a level.
6. It is advisable to close the ends of the slate wooden blocks using the same screws. At the end of the assembly, it is desirable to cover them with paint.

More detailed information can be gleaned from the photo and video materials attached to the article. At the end of the installation, the trench is covered on both sides with earth, which is well rammed. The inner cavity of the bed is filled with various garden debris: branches, leaves, hay, straw, tops of various crops, etc. Then organic matter is added: manure or humus. Sprinkle on top with a small layer of soil (about 15 cm), water and cover with a film.

Advice. In order for organic matter to decompose faster, a special bio-fertilizer can be added to the water during irrigation.

After a few days, the film is removed, and a layer of soil is added on top. The beds are now ready for planting.

Slate beds - wonderful solution organization " smart garden". In such a frame, the plants will feel very comfortable and bring a good harvest.

How to make a garden bed from ordinary slate: video

Gardeners and gardeners annually ask themselves the question of what is the best way to make strips for beds. So by far the most practical and economical material are stripes of flat slate, you can buy such strips in our online store at the most favorable price. It is worth noting that at proper arrangement your backyard territory with the help of this material, you can protect your crop from pests, as well as accelerate the growth of plants.

Advantages:

The period of operation of this material reaches 50 years, which can be considered a huge advantage.

· Acceptable price.

· Pleasant appearance of the backyard territory.

Installation of strips does not require any knowledge and experience, that is, you can make a fence with your own hands. AT special care does not need.

What you need to know about the use of the studied material in the beds?

Despite the fact that the use of flat slate in the garden is considered only with positive side, there are some features here, without taking into account which the material can be dangerous.

So, let's start with the fact that plants in flat slate beds grow faster and are protected from some pests. Also, weeds do not grow on such a backyard territory, which is very important for every gardener and summer resident.

However, with a frivolous approach to organizing your own garden, you can miss the point that if the material is used incorrectly, it can reduce the amount useful substances in grown plants. So, let's start with the fact that in case of overheating, slate increases the evaporation of moisture, for this reason it is recommended to water the garden more often. There is also an opinion that asbestos cement strips evaporate the negative elements that enter your body through the grown crop, but this problem is easily solved by coloring the sheet before installation.

It is also worth paying attention to the fact that by coloring it is possible to increase the period of operation of the material in conditions of severe frost and advanced level humidity. In this case, it is recommended to use liquid plastic or acrylic mixes that dry quickly.

How to arrange a personal area?

1. The width of the aisles between the lanes should allow for trouble-free movement with necessary tools in hands, it is at least 45 cm with a height of not more than 20 cm. In this matter, the height of the stripes should be taken into account. Remember that this distance should allow you to freely water the plants, handle them, cut them, and so on. Only in this way at the end of the season will you be able to harvest the best harvest.

2. The most popular height is 15-20 cm. However, it is equally important to enjoy the process of caring for planted plants, which means it is better to buy

strips of slate, the height of which will reach 30-40 cm, so you can process the beds while sitting on a chair.

3. The length of the beds depends on the backyard area, the relief throughout its territory and other factors. The most common are beds with a length of 4 to 8 meters. It is recommended to install the bed from south to north, so the sun's rays will evenly fall on the garden.