I love gabions! Hopefully someone here will be able to give you good advice!

What were you planning to use for the construction of the cages? Are they free-standing or fixed into place?

I don't quite follow how you'll make gabions out of old pots?

I was under the (probably mistaken) idea that the pot sherds were the filler inside the cages.

I have wondered how long the metal cages last. And how the entire structure gets redone once they start failing.

Ah. Pot sherds as a filler make sense. But you'd need a huge quantity to make 30 gabions, even if they were small. What size is being proposed?

You can buy empty gabion cages. Making 30 of a consistent size yourself would be a big undertaking.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts,

Gabions are very popular in Europe. They can range in size to very small to very large for pots and they also can be a retaiing wall, outdoor fireplace or any number of projects.

I'm using old worn out heavy duty plastic pots about 46 inch around and 8-12 inches high for the plants in the center of the gabions. Galvanized fencing will surround the pots with space left for rocks (pond pebbles) that will go between the pots and fencing.

They should last a very long time. Perfect for the more permanent way I'm taking my very large garden.

I've decided to make the cages indoors given the cold weather and gradually fill with stones as weather permits. The goal is to have the cages done by early April.

Everything I've seen so far for construction makes the process look easier than I have been able to do. Some shown just don't look very good, others look great. I'm working on ideas to streamline the construction process.

Thanks again!

G

Could you post a pic of what you are making?How many do you require? I would be inclined to make my own but only because my youngest is a fabricator who has access to an enormous range of metal materials. Gabions are not especially easy unless you are using precut sheets of galvanised wire, and even then, you have to fabricate lids and ties. If you have to do any cutting of metal mesh, (for sizing), it is a real problem to finish the cut edges. I cannot really think it is cost effective either. They are essentially somewhat industrial, having mostly been used in civil engineering projects such as road and bridge building - especially retaining walls on motorway shoulders and banks..

I have really only seen them used as decorative garden features since the 80s but this expanded use has made them more accessible to landscape designers. I honestly think I would consider buying the cages, ready for customising to your specific design. As you say, they will last a long time so it is worth investing money in readymade cages.

gabions originated in "vegetation ingeneering", they were used to secure slops or build slight terraces.

in that way, one side is directly against the soil, only one side is not covered. They used to be not free standing like a brick wall, that came later. And usually plants would start growing in it and ad stability.

around here, at a train station there was a really tall gabion, 4 m, 12 feet+?, that startet bulging/ sagging dramatically

in landscaping the companies prefer pre-fabricated gabion cages as the ones made on site are not that long lastin (I guess it is like 20 y to 50 y plus...) and it takes much more time.

how high do you need them to be?

filling some with wood logs/ timber is a great way to ad habitat to your garden. As they rott away, that cage should be refillable

Hello again,

Thanks for all of the advice etc.

My gabions are only about 8 -12 inches high, about 46-48 inches around.

I have discovered that the fencing is a bit difficult to work with if the completed gabion is going to look nice. The sharp edges are an issue for me given that I have two dogs who play in the garden. I think I might have solved that problem, but time will tell.

Purchasing all of the cages I need would be to expensive, I've priced out materials for each one and it comes to around $15.00-$20.00 which is something I can live with.

I've been trouble shooting all issues with this project and it seems I'm getting closer to soluitions.

I'm not one to give up on a project once I commit to it. A few years ago I was bent on developing a squirrel proof bird feeder that would last, work and look nice. After about 4-5 months it finally came together after tons of thought and I haven't had a squirrel on my feeders since.

Thanks again!

My thoughts are that making a couple might be okay. But 30 would be a very big task, especially if you want them to look uniform.