Learn how to build a brick flower bed to create a garden space that’ll withstand the elements and add value to your property.
If you’d like to complete a project made out of just bricks, pretty much all you’ll need is a level foundation on which to begin. It’s neat to be able to build brick projects, such as a welcoming sidewalk to your front door with pavers and dirt or your favorite gravel. These projects don’t require much finesse, just an idea of what you want them to look like.
Some projects, such as building a raised brick planter, require using actual mortar. Permanent structures will not only add a little flavor to your yard or garden, but also increase the property value. To build this simple raised garden bed, make sure you’re square with other structures or anything else around so it doesn’t seem out of place. You can do this with masonry line and a tape measure.
Since bricks come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, determine how many bricks you’ll need. Use a masonry ruler to find the number of courses, depending on how big you want the bed joints (3/8 inches is common for bed joints and head joints) and how tall you want your raised planter to be. Brick calculators are available online to make it easier to determine your brick and mortar needs. You can repurpose bricks or buy them at your local home improvement store.
Tools and Materials
The Basics of Bricklaying
- Get creative with the bricks you use! You can even use colored mortar to give your planter some character.
- Don’t buy any mortar bags that are opened, damp, or have hard pieces in them.
- You can use a stack bond pattern (each brick laid directly on top of another) instead of staggering the joints, but it won’t be as strong.
- Keep checking for square, flush, level, and plumb as you build up.
- Don’t leave any old mortar in your wheelbarrow as you make each new batch. For bigger batches, scrape it all into a pile in the middle and continue mixing it.
- Strike the mortar (filling mortar lines so they’re flush with the brick) before it’s dry. Strike the head joints (vertical joints) first and then the bed joints (horizontal joints). Lightly brush it off with a masonry brush, and you can strike it again if you want it to look neat.
- To build your new bed, begin with a level concrete slab (a “footer”), which is cement poured into a hole deep enough to go underneath your local freeze line. Use your level to make sure it’s even. This way, the changing weather won’t shift or crack your project as much over time.
- Once you have a smooth, level surface, sweep it off and mark off the area where you’ll be laying. Use something like a chalk line or a carpenter’s pencil to draw straight lines and square corners. Draw out exactly how you’d like your project to begin. This is the most important part, although it’s not difficult. You may want to use a square and a masonry ruler.
- You can make your own mortar, but Type N mortar is the standard masonry mix, and you can buy bags of it at most hardware stores. Pour out enough mortar in a wheelbarrow and make a hole in the middle of the mortar. Gradually pour water into the hole, and pile up the surrounding mortar on top of the water.
- Once your mortar is mixed well, grab a trowel and get a heaping pile of “mud” (wet cement). Try to lay it out evenly inside the drawn lines, and feather the mortar toward the front of where your bricks will be with the end of your trowel.
- Lay a “lead” on each side. This just means lay the bricks that’ll form your corners and bottom course first. Make sure they’re all straight on the bottom and stay flush and level as you build up the corners. Use plenty of mortar when you “butter” the bricks so you won’t have to fill in any holes with a striker afterward. As long as you don’t have any “cold joints” (no bonding), your planter will turn out just fine.
- Once you’ve built your first two corners, you should be able to tie a masonry line that stretches from end to end along the outer edge of where the bricks will go. Pin the line to the corner of the end bricks. As you move up and fill in the rest of the courses one by one, the line will show you how to place the edges of your bricks as you lay. You may also want to check diagonally with your level here and there to make sure everything stays flush.
- Carefully remove any excess mortar with your trowel. Try not to smear mortar on your bricks while you’re laying them.
- Once you’ve completed your DIY raised brick planter, lay a level across it different ways. If your project is level (level horizontally), plum (vertically), and flush (straight), you’ll be able to stretch a string across the top, catty-corner, with the same measurement on each side. Good job! This means your project is square!
- Clean up, and allow your new DIY project to cure. Whether you’re planning to grow flowers or fruits and vegetables, you can now garden in your new raised brick planter!
If your planter is built well with good mortar and strong, solid joints, it’ll be strong, weather well, and last throughout the years with little or no additional maintenance.
Originally published as “Hometown Hacks: Build a Raised Planter Out of Bricks” in the October/November 2024 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
Joseph Neel is a seasoned writer who grew up traveling around the world and now lives in Missouri. He loves nature and the outdoors.