DIY Raised Garden Bed
We have lived in our little suburban neighborhood for about 3 years now. I grew up on 2 acres and then moved to 21 acres in high school. I always dreamed of having some property of my own with big gardens and chickens and no neighbors right behind us, but that's not really in the cards for right now. Although I'm living on a 1/3 of an acre that in no way means I can't have gardens and grow the flowers and vegetables that I want to grow (the chickens will have to wait- too bad my HOA won't allow them), and this is where building raised garden beds comes in very handy.
What is a raised bed?
A raised bed is simply a garden bed that you build on top of the ground. Many are built out of wood or metal. The great thing about it is that you can fill it with the soil of your choice which allows you to have a lot more control of the growing medium you are using. My soil has a ton of clay and is terrible for growing a lot of types of plants, so for me a raised bed is a perfect option because I could use much better soils and hopefully will have a lot more success with my plants.
Our design...
My husband and I were talking a couple of months ago and I was going on about my ideas of adding raised beds to our yard and growing my own cut flowers. Well he heard me out and told me to just decide where I wanted it and he would make it. So, I picked a great corner of our yard and on Mother's Day he built it for me. I love the simple design and it is perfect for anyone looking to add a raised bed to their yard.
Below I am sharing our design for a corner raised garden bed, along with the list of materials used (we got all of our supplies from Home Depot) and some pictures of the process used to build it. I really hope that this inspires you to add a raised garden bed to your yard, no matter how big or small!
(If a rectangular raised bed would fit better in your yard check out my tutorial on how to build a raised garden bed!)
Materials Used:
- 2 - 2"x 8"x 12" pressure treated boards
- 3 - 2"x 8"x 8" pressure treated boards
- 1 - 2"x 4"x 8" pressure treated board
- 3 inch deck screws
- Top soil
- Garden Soil
Process:
Start by making a plan...
These are the dimensions for the raised bed we built in our yard. The sizes are slightly uneven in places, but in the end it doesn't really matter. The more important thing for us was that it was in the corner of our yard and lined up with our fence.
Dig up soil on edges...
Our ground is a little uneven in this part of the yard and we wanted the boards to lay evenly. So, my husband simply dug an even line of soil and grass up for the boards to sit into. This also helps to hold the boards in place and keeps soil from seeping out underneath.
Attach boards together...
To hold the boards together we simply screwed them together using the deck screws in the corners and where the boards met.
Add support pieces and fill dirt...
We added two support pieces of wood across the bed near the corner. This will help make it sturdier.
The other thing we did was add fill dirt into the beds. This was some soil and grass we had dug up while planting and edging some other garden beds. The base layer of soil can easily be what is already there.
Lay paper down over fill dirt...
Since we added the fill dirt that had grass in it we laid paper down to help kill the grass. Paper (especially newspaper) is perfect because it breaks down quickly over time and will biodegrade into the soil.
You may be wondering why we care so much about not allowing grass to grow into our garden bed. Honestly it is not the end of the world if it happens. Mainly it takes away from the visual appeal, and the grass will compete with the other plants for nutrients.
Add garden soil and top soil...
Finally we spread a heavy layer of top soil followed by garden soil into the bed. You can buy garden and top soil at garden centers and home improvement stores. We got all of our soil from Home Depot.
The benefit of using garden soil is that it is richer in nutrients and organic material. The garden soil was the final layer we put on the garden bed.
Allow the soil to settle...
We gave the soil in the garden bed a week to settle. Also, we gave the soil some water to allow the paper to break down to make it easier for planting.
Plant the garden...
A week later I planted all of our plants. This is going to be a pollinator and cut flower garden, which I will be featuring next week!
It is not too hard to create a raised garden bed, it just takes a little planning, time and energy. Once it is built you will have it for years to come to use and enjoy!
Good luck!
For more gardening ideas and tutorials check out:
