The Garden Walls

We have had several walls built out of basalt to contain small gardens going up the steep hill south of the house. Some of the stones weigh up to 200 pounds. A ditch is dug and the largest stones are placed in that so that the top of the stones slope back. A stone is then dropped in various positions on top until the rough edges of the stone seem to fit into the wall "just right". The wall continues upward with backfilling progressing at the same rate. A course of small flat stones is placed on top. Small chink stones are placed in the front of the wall along with some dirt and the wall hosed off. The wall is then sturdy enough for someone to climb up without a single stone shifting. The round river rock you see in the background was what the previous^2 owner did. I do not recommend using rounded stone for a wall since it will not interlock anymore than bowling balls would. As you can see the "wall" is suffering severe slump.	The lower wall of three during construction
From the lowest wall looking up hill	In this picture you can see the completed courtyard project and "the window". The window was made out of a horse panel and framed in 4x4s.
From the top wall looking down. Notice the gap in the wall for future stairs.

I built this two teir wall was built in Fall of 2000 and Spring of 2001.