This page is resumed from Page One of the Raised Garden Bed Installation
There were quite a few delays in this project so far.
The lack of materials delayed a week or two, wrong color dye, inability to locate base material with exact dimensions for the turrets, deciding what to cap the wall with, waiting for a special-order tool to arrive in the mail, and other issues arose.
If your device doesn't play the video, try this .webm version instead (or just right-click and download the video to your own computer for the smoothest play).
Adding the color to the final coats.
Notice the right "column" is missing its cap to match the left column.
The next page will show this project completed.
All that remains now is the inside ballasting, some light grading of the soil outside of the planter, and then it will be filled with dirt.
When this project is done and later acid etched, some rocks will react to the acid and produce vibrant colors, others will have a layer stripped from them and just look cleaner. If the mortar joints are cured properly, there should be little or no effect on the mortar color following an acid application.
In approximately one week I will be cleaning my work which should noticeably improve the appearance.
Extra stone that was lying around
click the image for a Raised Planter Progress Report 
If your device doesn't play the video, try this .webm version instead (or just right-click and download the video to your own computer for the smoothest play).
Flagstone was tossed into the ground to form a walk area around the planter. The image shows the left side (prior to cleaning). 
As shown, the left side of the planter is filled with dirt already. The right side still has a large tomato plant that is producing which prevents my willingness to kill it. The dirt can be added anytime, Spring is a long way off as winter has yet to arrive here. 
We used cut thatch plant trimmings as soil retention for the winter months.
The image shows the right side of flagstone added as walkway (prior to cleaning).
Yes, we bought rocks! (since the capitalizers attacked my website's ability to maintain proper hosting) My Free Dumpsite is not receiving so many visitors anymore. Mission accomplished?
So rather than fight the powers that be, I decided not to finance them. Although the website will no longer possess https or proper hosting, my basement server will be sure to never show up in any monopolized search engine results (even if you searched entire sentences that only my website has).
The two companies we purchased rock from are SRM (formerly Bryce Hill) and Mad River Landscaping.
Mad River Landscaping did not have any hidden fees that SRM has, however they didn't have near the selection that SRM has either.
Our order from SRM had a Bag Fee (literally a big bag Fee) and no other way to dump rock is available. Whereas Mad River hadn't any bag fee (or bag to dispose of) and no pallet fee either.
SRM's Pallet Fee wouldn't be so agonizing for the $30.00 amount, but we should at least receive pallets that are not already junk (literally not one of them was intact).
SRM has other features and offerings that Mad River do not have though, such as a myriad of rock colors and types, tools and additives, and you can literally spend hours just walking around the inside and outside yard at all the stuff that SRM makes or has in stock.
But the big difference between SRM and Mad River is the delivery fee. Mad River's delivery charge was one-third that of SRM's.
Ultimately though, both companies offered different rock and we like the rock from both, despite price.
Mad River has customer service that was impeccable. Whether it was the helpful lady at the desk or the young man that actually dumped the rock, they seemed pleasant and approachable. SRM has great customer service also, like Mad River's service, but you might have to wait in line as the place is quite a bit busier. Your SRM agent might have to multi-task with you when you get to the desk depending whether you arrive during their busier hours.
click the image for a Raised Planter Progress Report 
If your device doesn't play the video, try this .webm version instead (or just right-click and download the video to your own computer for the smoothest play).
This image shows the planter after the addition of two small columns in front
See another Project
Some Other Do it Yourself Projects
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Today's Date is Saturday, 26-Apr-2025 19:27:02 -05
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