Ferro-Cement Raised Bed + Hugelkultur Bed Time-lapse

[@josiahkulwa34]

Great job

[@natmccallum8885]

Love the yellow against the blue sky; very pretty.

[@lauracrepeau8720]

Love it!

[@shielatubber]

The only mistake I see is no hardware cloth beneath the raised bed from the outset. I have learned the hard way that rabbits, voles, etc. love to burrow in raised beds. With such a permanent structure, it would be a shame to have to start over.

[@jaydon.9674]

Very well done

[@RayMirshahi]

Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing👍.

[@windsunh2o]

Beautiful! Do you have to plant alkaline-loving plants in there or does it not affect the soil pH too much?

[@hatchetnseed]

Doesn't meaningfully affect pH.

[@IraWilley]

This looks great. Is it strong enough?

[@hatchetnseed]

Oh yeah!

[@87Babybat]

We are trying to build one of these but the cement/concrete falls right off the metal wire. Any tips?

[@maverick9300]

Add a latex based bonding agent to the cement. As much as 10x improvement in cement bonding. You can spray acrylic latex onto the steel before making the framework for a cheaper option. It adheres extremely well and cures very quickly in warm weather. Most of the time there are two layers of mesh for easier application of concrete. They are using metal lath which has a particularly high surface area for the concrete to interact with. It's also much pricier than alternatives

[@kendrahofseth6265]

Do you have any guidance of how much cement mix/ sqft you should account for? We’re thinking of doing this for some beds in a community garden but want to make sure we have our numbers right! Thank you!

[@hatchetnseed]

Don't have the numbers non hand I'm afraid. We just have the experiential knowledge to guesstimate. The most sand we've ever used was around 2.5 yards and that did several hundred linear feet of planters.

[@hayleyolsen2424]

Beautiful! Do you have recommendations on what type of cement/Quikrete to use?

[@hatchetnseed]

We use type GU and concrete sand.. nothing fancy.. We've played around with adding some extra lime here and there as well.

[@orionlottering7349]

Very nice en seem so easy. Can I make one into a pond with a concrete base maybe?

[@hatchetnseed]

You can.. We haven't before, so you may want to look into sealing it with Xypex or something, but many rain tanks have been built using these techniques in places Latin America and Africa.

[@orionlottering7349]

@@hatchetnseed thanks for you response.

[@rhymenoceros1]

Any details on the iron-based pigment? Brand suggestion or any other details so I can find it around here (Massachusetts)? Thanks!

[@hatchetnseed]

Pure iron oxide pigment from a clay art supplier. You can also check Concrete suppliers for pigment mixes.

[@trentonmanns211]

@@hatchetnseed I like how you were able to paint the visible portions vs. mix the pigment into the cement. Is there a special type of pigmentation product used for painting? Or are you mixing up dry pigments then just rolling it on? Appreciate the assist, love your work!

[@hatchetnseed]

@@trentonmanns211 raw iron oxide pigment..

[@Nature_Quixote]

How thick are the walls? Any cracks yet?

[@hatchetnseed]

Approx. 2''.. No significant cracking yet.. Sometimes there's some surface cracking if the final coat goes on when its hot and sunny, but we've been able to mitigate that by wet sponging and shade tents.

[@maverick9300]

Regular concrete will crack which is fine for this application, but is somewhat problematic for water tank and roofs. Fibers and or bonding agents will solve this problem. You can find either in a hardware store.

[@zargon7222]

Where was this located and how does it look now 9 months later?

[@hatchetnseed]

Colwood, BC. Look great, it’s made of concrete so there’s not much change since install. The pigment lasts for at least 5 years and then can be re-applied if you want it to look brand new again.