Footings for Brick Garden bed

[Jon]

I am about to put a brick surround around the garden bed at the front of the house and would like some advice on the footings. It will probably be three bricks high, one below ground and two above.

Years ago I had some help from a mate of a mate to do similar and we did a brick footing but I can't remember exactly what we did. Could I get away with concrete in the bottom of the trench and sit the first course in the concrete and then go conventional after that?

I am using bricks because I have heaps left over from an extension. I have already done a brick letterbox on a proper concrete pad but I think the full contrete and reo footing for the garden bed is overkill.

thanks in advance
Jon

[johnc]

Your soil type will dictate what you can get away with, but really after all the effort laying the bricks you don't want the thing falling apart after a couple of years. I would suggest a strip footing with a bit of reo if your really keen. About 100mm deep and 200mm wide would give you a very minimal base and a bit deeper would not hurt. Even that is pretty light and will not last forever if there is any soil movement.

JohnC

[ozwinner]

Why put a foundation at all?

For two courses I wouldnt bother.
If you are useing mortar, it will be strong enough anyway.

Al

[Don777]

Another Idea....
When I did blustone edging round the front garden bed, I Dug a trench about spade width, four inches deep, and fill it with road base, packed down by walking on it, then put moutered ( cement and sand) bed down and put blue stones on top, worked a treat and that was 3 years ago.

Also I am going to do brick edgeing one adn two coarse in the back yard the same way.
Ps sandy soil adn good luck

Don

[wombat47]

I agree that it depends on your soil type but my garden edgings were made without the benefit of a concrete base. Levelled off the trench with a bit of tin cut to size, dry laid the first row of bricks and then mortared from there. Edgings were mainly two bricks high above ground, with one bit three high and a couple of box type beds four bricks high.

Some of the original garden beds were edged with bricks laid at a 45 degree angle, leaning on each other and half buried in the ground - no mortar and no base. They had obviously been there for years and took a lot of digging out.

Also made some circular mowing strips around trees by digging a trench and levelling off, laying the bricks with a reasonable gap where they actually met, brushed in sand and cement and watered it in. Has a certain rustic quality but that goes with the age of the house and it does the job.

I'm not sure this would work in a clay soil and I have no experience with sandy soil.

[simon c]

Some of the original garden beds were edged with bricks laid at a 45 degree angle, leaning on each other and half buried in the ground - no mortar and no base. They had obviously been there for years and took a lot of digging out.

If you like the look this is an easy to install but very strong edging.

I have recently doen a significant amount of prick pacing and edging in the garden and used this great website. It focusses on paving so he says you shoulkd lay edging on concrete, but that is because it is the edging to flaoting paving rather than a garden edging.
http://www.pavingexpert.com

They have a section on the sawtooth edging that wombat mentioned:
http://www.pavingexpert.com/edging6.htm