How to Build a Raised Garden Bed

Gardening

Apr 23

Raised garden beds are a perfect solution for any gardener! This tutorial will help anyone build a raised garden bed in seven easy steps. #raisedbed #vegetablegarden #raisedgardenbed #gardening #homegarden #beginnergarden

We have been looking for some ways to expand our gardens and grow a lot more vegetables this year. Not only do I want to start my own modern day Victory Garden, but I just love gardening in general and want to be able to grow more of my own food. Since we live in a suburban neighborhood on about 1/3 of an acre our space for a garden is limited. Not to mention, the soil in southwest Ohio is pretty heavy with clay and not the greatest for growing all kinds of plants. So, for complete control of garden size and conditions the easy answer for us was to build a simple raised garden bed.

Last year we built a corner raised garden bed in our yard for a perennial pollinator garden. This year we decided to transform a small deck on the back of our house into a garden space (more on that another day!). Since we had a large open space that was already flat it was the perfect spot for a few simple rectangular raised beds. This will create a great garden space for us to grow our vegetables. Not to mention we were able to completely build our beds with all of the lumber from the deck we demolished.

I documented how we built our garden beds so that I could share with anyone else looking to build one. I've included a full list of materials needed and step by step directions. Hope you enjoy this tutorial and it can give you some inspiration for your garden!

Materials:

This list of materials is to build one raised bed exactly the same as we built.

(4) 2x6x8 Treated Lumber Boards
(1) 2x4x8 Treated Lumber Board
Box of 3" Decking Screws
HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) Plastic
Hardware Cloth
Staple Gun
Staples
Miter Saw
Power Drill

Directions:

Step One- Selecting Lumber

We built our raised beds out of repurposed treated lumber from a deck we tore off of our house. We were lucky enough to find tags still attached to the boards that confirmed for us what it was treated with. It is important if you are going to be using the beds to grow vegetables to know about the lumber you are using.

Treated lumber is treated with chemicals so it will not rot. But, there is a chance that those chemicals could leach out of the wood over time and into the soil. Boards produced before 2004 were mainly treated with arsenic. After 2004 most treated lumber was treated with copper instead, which doesn't really pose a safety issue like arsenic. We found that our boards were produced using the copper treatment, so we felt comfortable using them. Just as a safety precaution to prevent leaching we lined our beds with plastic (which you will see in Step 6).

If you feel really unsure about using treated lumber there are other options! You can use untreated lumber (it will not last as long or may rot), cedar boards (more expensive) or metal.

Step Two- Cut Boards to Size

Start with all 4 of the 2x6x8 boards. Measure and cut a piece off the end of each board that is 27" long. This will leave you with a remaining piece that is 69" long. The 27" pieces will serve as the end caps and the 69" pieces will serve as the side panels.

Then cut the 2x4x8 board into six 11" pieces. You should have some leftover.

Step Three- Build Sides

Take two of the long side panel pieces and lay them flat side-by-side. Screw them to one of the 11" pieces flush with the end of the boards. (see above picture)

Repeat on the other end of the board. Then repeat with the other side panels.

Stand both sides up with the support pieces facing inside. There should be a 24" spacing between the side panels.

Step Four- Attach End Caps

Screw the end caps into the vertical support and the end of the side panels on both ends.

Step Five- Add Center Support Pieces

Turn up on side. Measure to the half way point. Clamp a support piece to the inside and screw on to attach. The purpose of this is to keep the boards from bowing separately when filled with soil.

Repeat on opposite side.

The raised bed frame should look like the above picture at this point.

Step Six- Add Plastic and Hardware Cloth

beds lined with plastic and chicken wire in bottom

Choose which side will be the top of the bottom. Place the bed top up and attach the HDPE plastic. Staple the plastic about 3" from the top to the bottom wrapped underneath and stapled to the bottom of the bed. It doesn't have to be perfect as the soil will hold it in place.

up close of plastic lining and chicken wire

Flip the bed over so that the bottom side is facing up. Roll the hardware cloth out and staple to the bottom. The wire in the bottom will allow roots to penetrate down but will keep rodents from coming up into the garden beds.

Step Seven- Set in Place and Add Soil

Place raised bed(s) where you want them before adding any soil. Level them so that they sit even if needed (we used wood scraps).

Once the garden beds are in place, fill them with soil. We used top soil to fill ours and then we will top them with some compost and raised bed garden soil that is more nutrient-rich.