A well-designed yard is a beautiful thing, but it’s easy to get bogged down in the details. Should you start with a patio or a retaining wall? Should you go for a rustic look or something sleek and modern? And what about that garden bed—will it fit in with your aesthetic, or should you just go with granite pavers instead? But one landscape element that should never be overlooked is your retaining wall. When built properly, retaining walls can add structure and support to any outdoor space while also keeping the topsoil of your garden beds stable (and looking great). Thinking about building one yourself? Here’s how:
You can keep your topsoil in place and make beautiful garden beds by building up a retaining wall.
A retaining wall is a wall that’s used to support the edges of soil and prevent it from falling, especially when there’s an incline.
Retaining walls are used for many different purposes. One of their most common uses is to create raised garden beds so that plants have more room and access to sunlight. Sometimes these raised beds can be filled with topsoil or other materials, but they’re also commonly made out of bricks or stones to add some aesthetic appeal to your garden space.
Retaining walls can be built using DIY materials such as stone blocks or cement blocks if you want something more permanent, or pre-made gardening materials like brick pavers if you want something easier and less expensive (but still attractive).
Get the Right Materials
One of the most important things to consider when building a retaining wall is the type of materials you use. Make sure that you get the right ones, so they are durable and long lasting, easy to work with, easy to clean and maintain, replaceable if necessary, and store-friendly.
Start at the Top
The first step in building a retaining wall for garden bed is to start at the top. If you’re working on a lawn, be sure to have your surface level and smooth before laying any stones or concrete blocks. Make sure you have enough material to fill up the entire wall, and leave room for access from all sides so that you can work comfortably without tripping over materials or having anything get in your way.
Make Sure You Have Sturdy Foundations
- Make sure you have a sturdy foundation.
- The foundation should be strong enough to support the weight of the wall.
- The foundation should be level and built on a solid surface so it doesn’t shift during construction or when plants grow up through it.
- The weight of the wall should be spread evenly across its entire surface, so make sure you’re using enough mortar mix (otherwise known as concrete) in your base layer! It’s also best if you use a commercial mortar mix rather than one made at home—it’ll help ensure that everything is set correctly and ready for planting time! If you’re unsure how much material is needed here, check with your local hardware store; they’ll likely have experts who can help out with this step too.
Use a String Line to Create a Straight Wall
To keep your retaining wall straight, use a string line. Start by digging out the bottom of the wall to create a level base. Then set up your string line and start placing bricks at one end of it. Work in rows, using about 6 inches between each brick for drainage as you build up a section of your wall. You may need to add edging later on once you get close to finishing off an area; this will help give it some structure and strength so that it doesn’t fall over once filled with soil later on.
You’ll also want to make sure that each row is level before adding more bricks onto it—it’s usually easier if you build from lower down rather than beginning at ground level and working up towards an existing house or patio area (or whatever else might be nearby). Keep checking with your string line regularly as well until there’s enough room between each brick for drainage purposes (about 6 inches should work fine), then go back through again after adding another layer and continuing working upwards until there’s enough height for what’s needed around your garden bed!
Use Gravel to Fill Between Bricks if Any are Out of Place.
If any of your bricks are out of place, use sand or gravel to fill in the gaps. You can use a trowel to smooth out any uneven areas and even out the surface. Use your trowel to apply pressure to the sand/gravel, then lightly tap it with your hand as you pull back, smoothing it out as you go.
Don’t Type Too Closely Together
It is not recommended that you build your retaining wall too close to the edge of your garden bed. If your wall is too close to the edge, it will be more likely to fall over when there are high winds or heavy rain. The bricks should also be spaced out properly so that they don’t come loose or fall off during these types of weather conditions.
It is also important not to use too many bricks in a row and keep them spaced apart evenly so that they do not become loose over time from wind or rain damage. The same can happen if you have gaps between rows where air will get trapped underneath them which causes them to crack apart as well as adds extra weight onto each individual brick within those rows which can cause them all break down eventually even without any outside help from nature’s elements.
Finally: make sure before moving onto another section of work by checking all pieces carefully for gaps between each one (this includes concrete). Make sure everything has been installed firmly enough before continuing on with other steps because otherwise it could lead into trouble later down road when trying
Landscaping your yard doesn’t have to be done all at once, but it’s best to plan out your hardscape and build slowly over time
If you have the time, you can build your retaining wall in stages. Instead of getting it done all at once, build it slowly over time so that you have something to look forward to. This will also cut down on costs if you’re working with a tight budget or just don’t have the money for an entire retaining wall at once.
If you don’t have the time or energy to do all this work by yourself, find someone who has experience building walls and ask them how they would go about building a good one. They’ll be able to give advice on materials and design elements like drainage holes and slopes so that when they’re finished building their own wall they know how yours should look too.
Conclusion
We know that creating a beautiful garden bed for your home can be done with a wide variety of materials and design styles. Regardless of what you choose to use, there will always be a need to protect the soil from erosion and runoff as well as possible.
