Pros and cons of plastic beds
The advantages of plastic boards for arranging beds are:
- long service life;
- variety of textures and colors;
- price policy;
- frost resistance;
- resistance to UV radiation and sudden weather changes;
- does not dry out;
- prevents putrefactive bacteria from multiplying;
- durable structure;
- ease of installation of structures;
- easy to care for (when watering, just wash off the dirt with a hose);
- mobile design (if necessary, the bed can be moved to any other place in the garden);
- the bed is not washed out, moisture after watering is retained inside the structure for a long time.
The disadvantages include 1 drawback: some types of plastic can be toxic and release poisons, which is not applicable when growing plants.
How to install plastic mesh?
To prevent the plastic mesh from becoming deformed, you must adhere to the following installation instructions:
- Dig metal or wooden pegs around the perimeter of the bed. It is advisable that the distance between them be about a meter, then the mesh will not be deformed.
- If the height of the grid does not suit you, then make a narrow trench. Then the excess part of the fence can be hidden underground.
- Attach one end of the mesh to the first peg using strong wire or special construction ties. This needs to be done in at least two places, it all depends on the height of the fence.
- Stretch the mesh well around the perimeter of the bed.
- Finally, reattach the plastic mesh to the peg.
Types of plastic beds
Edging the beds with plastic allows you to implement various forms of structures on the site. The owners focus on a floral arrangement or frame a valuable tree. A large selection of PVC fencing allows you to make your landscape design special and cozy.
Decorative border can imitate the texture of wood, stone, brickwork
The garden designer allows you to realize the fantasies of a summer resident and create lawns of unusual shapes. Small elements are assembled into a single chain and secured with fastenings.
For fixing, a protrusion is provided in the parts into which a fastening rod is inserted.
The advantage of such structures is their ease of installation. No work is required to prepare the site for arranging the flower bed. The side is installed directly on the ground.
Advice! If the soil is too hard and it is difficult to insert the fastening rod, the problem can be easily eliminated by first moistening the area with a hose.
The garden constructor is used for fencing large flower beds. Smaller beds are decorated with other plastic materials.
Border tape
Plastic beds are made from flexible tape. Various textures of the border barrier and a large selection of colors allow the summer resident to make the garden unique and attractive. The bed can be given any shape. The barrier is used when planting fast-growing crops. The tape will prevent the roots from spreading beyond the boundaries. Using border fencing, flower appliques are made from various flowers.
In addition to arranging flower beds, border tape is used to organize paths. And also for highlighting an area of a pond, greenhouse or compost pit. To install the tape, first dig a trench 5 cm wide, lay a border and cover it with earth.
Tape height 10-28 cm, thickness 0.5 cm, roll length 10-50 m
Net
To preserve the harvest and prevent access to animals, a PVC mesh is stretched over the frame of the plastic bed. The material has a number of advantages:
- ease of installation;
- unlike metal mesh, corrosion does not occur;
- long period of use;
- low price.
In addition to fencing the beds, gardeners erect a fence in the front garden or vegetable garden. Plastic mesh is a good alternative to metal mesh.
Nets with small cells are used for fencing beds, and coarse material is used for zoning a personal plot.
Panels
Plastic borders of greenhouse beds are made from panels. Modern manufacturers produce garden boards. Externally, this material is very similar to plastic wall panels. The only difference is that the material is denser and does not bend.
Plastic garden panels are made from non-toxic plastic, so gardeners are not afraid that when exposed to sunlight, the material will release poison.
The convenience of assembling beds from “garden boards” is provided by grooves and protrusions in each part. Such panels are used to decorate not only flower beds and beds, but also a children's sandbox, recreation area or sports ground.
The material allows the summer resident to choose what height the structure needs to be installed. This will help create high and low beds. The board is also intended for constructing a greenhouse in early spring after the snow melts. Plastic boards are a very durable material. They are difficult to break and scratch.
The only drawback is the high price compared to construction wall panels. However, the strength and durability of the material make up for its high cost.
The panels are produced 15 cm wide and 2.5-3 m long; corner and connecting posts are provided for fastening
Flexible border “Garden Constructor”
Another type of border tape, which makes it possible to build beds of any size and configuration. It is a set of plastic elements that are connected into a circuit and closed.
Flexible border element
The image clearly shows that thanks to such elements you can build the most bizarre flower beds (even consisting of several levels).
Installation of the structure is extremely simple: the required number of elements are connected to each other using special fasteners and installed. At the bottom of each element there is a sharp protrusion that ensures reliable fixation. The installation procedure is shown in more detail in the video below.
In the photo there is a flower garden fenced with flexible elements
Video - Installation of the “Garden Constructor”
How to make raised beds from plastic panels with your own hands
Fencing for plastic beds is made from:
- garden board;
- window sill;
- PVC panels with a thickness of 1 cm;
- siding panels.
Wall panels for interior use are too thin and flexible, so they can break or become deformed during use. The height of the beds is usually determined by the summer resident depending on the use. The height of the box is 20-40 cm or 60-100 cm. The use of solid panels will give the structure strength. The use of pieces makes the board vulnerable, so additional reinforcement is required at the joints and screed.
Manufacturing
Algorithm for constructing a box for a garden bed from wall plastic panels with your own hands:
- A design drawing is drawn onto paper. Determine the size of the bed and calculate how much material needs to be prepared.
- Cut plastic panels to the required length.
- The stakes are being prepared. The bottom is sharpened to 20-40 cm, and the visible height is calculated based on the height of the curb.
- All parts are secured with self-tapping screws.
- After 60-100 cm, a screed is performed.
To prevent the bed from bursting due to the volume of soil, it is additionally reinforced with ties every 60-100 cm, depending on the width of the structure
Installation
Installation of plastic borders for beds and flower beds is carried out on a previously cleared and level area. To do this, remove all debris, dig up the soil if necessary, and generally level the bed. Then mark the size and shape of the ridge and install the prepared box. To do this, stakes are stuck into the ground and the joint is compacted.
The border constructor is first assembled into a single chain, giving the desired shape; for this, a stake is attached to the side, and with the help of grooves it is assembled together. The stacked border is installed in the grooves of the previous part so that the next element also fits into the groove of this board. The border tape with pegs is installed on the dug up area, sticking stakes into the ground and thoroughly compacting
Filling the beds
Boxes for beds made of plastic panels are filled with prepared substrate. For 10 liters of soil take 1 liter of ash, 1 liter of perlite to retain moisture and 1-2 liters of humus or manure.
Attention! If the beds are prepared in the fall, you can use fresh manure or bird droppings. If the ridge is set up in the spring, then rotted manure or humus is recommended.
Warm beds are filled in layers: a row of coarse organic matter, a layer of humus and ash and filled with soil on top
Fencing for garden beds: buy or make it yourself?
Plastic panels can be purchased at any specialized store. But if this is not possible, then you can resort to improvised means - for example, building a border from plastic bottles. This “good” accumulates in every home over time, but not everyone knows that bottles can be used to make an original and decorative border.
Fencing made from plastic bottles
However, there are several rules that must be followed when working.
- Bottles must be the same size and color. The best option is 1.5-liter bottles, although the volume may be different.
- You can use bottles of different colors for one bed, but provided that the order of their alternation is predetermined. This will make the fence look neater.
- Before starting work, the bottles should be washed, dried and removed from the labels, then cut off the top part (installation will be done upside down).
Installing bottles upside down
Use of plastic containers for fencing
Note! Also, plastic bottles can serve as ready-made miniature flower beds, but larger volume products (5-6 liters) will be required. In this case, a hole should be made in the side of the bottle for flowers.
How to beautifully design borders for beds made of plastic panels
A beautiful border for plastic beds is made of panels, fences and blocks. The variety of shapes and textures allows the owner to introduce the most unusual ideas.
A high board made of plastic elements retains moisture and prevents the soil from eroding in the garden Multi-tiered compositions made of plastic bars decorate the site and protect plants from pets Plastic panels come in various colors, this allows summer residents to fantasize with arranging their garden Plastic barriers repeat the texture of natural wood or stone or brickwork, which gives the visual effect of using natural materials. Plastic boxes are used for arranging a mobile vegetable garden so that the soil does not fall through the holes; burlap is laid between the mesh and the soil is filled
Advantages of plastic beds in a summer cottage
Enclosing structures for garden beds are presented in a wide range on the market in finished form. Plastic products are the most common and in demand among owners of summer cottages. This success is due not only to the low cost, but also to the practicality, durability of these structures, as well as many additional advantages, due to which they outperform wood, metal or stone.
One of the main advantages of plastic is its low cost.
On a note! A polyvinyl chloride (PVC) board is capable of 100% retaining moisture received by the soil during watering or rain inside the structure.
