How to Build a Raised Garden Bed
A raised garden bed is a free-standing box or frame that sits above the ground in a sunny spot and is filled with high quality garden soil. They are a good addition to your home’s landscape and allows more room for growing flowers and vegetables.
Raised beds provide a variety of benefits:
- Easier garden chores
- Productivity of plants
- Ideal for small spaces
- Allow for longer growing spaces
- Fewer weeds
This blog post will walk you through choosing the right kind of wood, choosing the size of the bed, and the steps of building a raised bed of your own!
Choosing the Right Kind of Lumber
Raised garden beds can be built out of a variety of materials, but the most common is wood.
Untreated lumber can be used, but note that it will deteriorate quickly. Cedar is a good option to use as untreated wood as it can last between 10 to 15 years. If you choose to use untreated wood to build a raised garden bed, it is best to apply a weather-proofing finish such as Thompson’s WaterSeal to provide durability in different weather conditions.
Treated lumber is manufactured with chemicals to prevent rotting throughout different weather conditions. Distributors have a variety of types of treated lumber, such as pine and cedar. Even with treated lumber, it is still suggested to apply a finish to provide a sleek look and further durability.
Alternatives to lumber include railroad ties, landscaping timbers, pallets, or even cinder blocks.
Sizing the Garden Bed
It is recommended to build your garden bed to size based on its location, but the standard width should be around 4 feet across. This provides enough room to access both sides of the garden without having to step into the bed (stepping into the bed compacts the soil and makes it harder for the plants to access oxygen through their roots). If the bed is against a wall or fence, it is best to reduce the width to 2–3 feet.
Length is not as important and is up to you. It can be 4x4 feet, 4x8 feet, or even 4x12 feet. The length is determined based on the amount of flowers or vegetables you wish to plant.
The bed should be around 1 foot in height. It can be taller, but keep in mind the plants you wish to grow and their required soil depth.
Where to Put the Bed
Most plants need between 6 and 8 hours of direct “full” sunlight every day. The bed should be close enough to a house or shed to provide easy access when weeding and harvesting. It should be in a location where soil drainage is adequate, so avoid any excessively wet areas.
Building Steps
To begin, you must prepare the site. Do this by marking the area with a string and ensuring the area is level and not sloped. You may have to remove the top layer of soil (around 10 inches) and remove any soil debris. Turning the soil then provides nutrients for the garden bed to draw from when the plant’s roots are deep enough.
The steps to build a 4 foot by 4 foot raised garden bed are as follows:
Materials and tools needed:
- two 2x6 cedar boards (or lumber of your choosing)
- 3-foot long 1x1 pine stake
- handsaw
- tape measure
- drill and drill bits
Both 2x6 boards will come in 8-foot planks, so they will need to be cut in half. The 1x1 stake will need to be cut into four pieces and are used for bracing.
- Make the bed slides. Drill the four 4-foot long planks together using screws. Make sure to drill pilot holes to prevent splitting of wood. One end of each plank will overlap the other. Drill screws directly into the ends.
- Lay down the bed. The walls are now assembled, so lay your square flat on the ground where the bed will be placed.
- Fill with soil. Fill your bed with nutrient-rich compost. (If you do not know what compost is, view my other blog post about creating your own compost.) Top the compost with top soil — this is specially made for vegetable gardening and is friendly with other types of plants.
- You’re finished! While this seems like a short, simple guide, this is all that needs to be done to build your own bed. It is ready for seeds, flowers, or vegetables.
NOTE: If you wish to make your raised bed taller, build a second 4-foot by 4-foot square and use the pine stakes to brace it on top of the first one.
