How to Build a Brick Garden Bed

Preparation

• 1

  Mark the area where you want the brick garden bed to be with string attached to the sticks. Make the measurements 8 inches wider than the inside width of the garden bed.

• 2

  Lay a line of bricks along one side and one end, with about 1/4 inch between them, to make sure the bricks fit evenly along the wall. Adjust the size of the garden bed, rather than using half of a brick to make the correct wall lengths.

• 3

  Dig out the area with the shovel to about 3 inches depth. Check with the level to make sure that the surface is straight.

• 4

  Mix some mortar in the wheelbarrow, as per the directions from the mortar mix manufacturer. Most mortar mixes come with the dry ingredients ready-mixed and the addition of water is all that is required.

• 5

  Lay a path of mortar with the trowel around the perimeter of your dug-out area, about 6 inches wide. Make sure that the mortar is flat and level, with a smooth surface. Let dry.

Laying the Bricks

• 6

  Mix another batch of mortar in the wheelbarrow. Lay a patch of mortar with the trowel, centered at two ends of the mortar path laid earlier. Make it the size of a brick. Place a brick lengthwise on each patch of mortar, ensuring that they are level with one another. Tap the bricks gently into the mortar until they are at the same level.

• 7

  Lay a line of mortar roughly three bricks in length, and wipe mortar onto the short sides of a brick with the trowel face before placing it next to one of the end bricks already placed. Repeat until the first line of one wall is complete. Repeat with the first layer of all four sides of the brick garden bed. Make sure all of the first layer is on the same level.

• 8

  Place a patch of mortar onto the corner of a wall, this time positioning it so that there is the joining of two bricks underneath, rather than on top of an entire brick---this will create the lacework that gives the brick wall its strength.

• 9

  Lay two or three bricks on each side of the corner, then repeat on the other corners. Repeat this only on the corners until you have the desired height of the garden bed. Most garden beds are around five or six bricks in height.

• 10

  Complete the garden bed by filling in the straight edges of the walls, after the corners are finished. Keep checking periodically that the bricks are level. Leave to dry for three or four days before filling with soil.