Upcycling our sandpit to a raised garden bed

[renonewbie]

 

 hi looking for help converting my sandpit to raised garden. 

So far plan is

Remove some of sand but leave rest to mix with the soil. Plan to build twice as deep. 

? Do I add in a leaves/wood layer or rocks layer after the sand? Whats a budget way to fill up with soil? Do I need a layer of mulch?

Plan is to have back part  with plants but herbs at front. 

There is water proofing for the sand pit but do I need that as I need soil to drain? 

I'll continue with sleepers and decking along edge?

Any advice much appreciated. 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @renonewbie,

You might like to read through the helpful guide How to fill a raised garden bed by @Noelle. I'd also suggest looking at My version of a Hugelkultur raised garden bed by @Aussie-Garden, where various mediums are used to establish a budget bed. You'll need to remove or puncture the waterproofing as you'll end up with a pond which the plants will have trouble surviving in.

The easiest option I can think of would be to butt-join sleepers, building them up to the correct height. You can then clad their exterior with decking to finish the look. Keep in mind that if you were to remove most of that sand and replace it with soil, the depth is already sufficient for growing herbs in.

Please let us know if you need further help or had questions.

Mitchell

[renonewbie]

Thanks @MitchellMc 

This project didn't take as long as the laundry reno! I used sleepers as struts and for the additional height, then cladding with decking timber. I managed to reuse lots of  plants around the home and garden, with some friendly additions from my neighbors and woolaaa - my tropical raised garden bed. I love it. Big change from the blue covered sandpit. Added a bit of purple to pop

So far I've only popped in some basil and coriander...will see how they fare before adding some more herbs. 

I've yet to add the mulch on top, just have watered in the plants... then do I wait or can i add in the mulch already? (complete garden rookie..maybe I should have added it before planting??)

Thanks

[MitchellMc]

That looks amazing, @renonewbie! I trust you are very pleased with the result.

It will be quite easy to add the mulch now. Just take handfuls and spread them around the plants, keeping it slightly away from their stems. What type of mulch do you plan on using?

Well done and many thanks for sharing your finished tropical garden.

Mitchell