Raised Garden Bed

I built these raised garden beds for two reasons, the first was to avoid the back pain that my father feels when bent over a traditional raised bed for weeding, the second was to keep the dog out of the garden. Both issues have been resolved!

I built three boxes, one for Strawberries, one for Herbs, and the last for Veggies like tomatoes and lettuce.

I did not take step by step pictures (sorry but built this before I found this great site) but the design is very simple.

As an added bonus, we have not had any rabbits or moles in the garden. If you are in deer country, and you do not have a fence, these would become an "all you can eat buffet" so take precautions.

Step 1: Materials

Pressure Treated Lumber - I used 2x12x10

This will depend on the size boxes you build
I built two boxes 4x4 and one 3x4

Pressure Treated Posts - I used 4x4x36 for each leg so a total of 12 legs

Lag Bolts to secure legs

Galvanized Screws to secure Box sides

1/4 inch Mesh Hardware Screen

Box of Lath Screws to secure screen to box frame

Landscape Fabric

Moisture Retaining Soil

Compost

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PaleoDan (author) 4 years ago

I have rebuilt my boxes and wanted to share my experience over the past year. The boxes work well but they dry out way too fast. I feel the design uses more water than it should. I was building this for convience but did not want to waste water either. I think the issue was that too much air circulates under the boxes and basically dries out the contents form top and bottom. Other than this, I was very happy with the build.

The new build reused the wood where I could but I did need to purchase new boards. I stayed with pressure treated but am lining it with plastic as suggested above. I am also adding a "soaker" hose into the build to help reduce water use. I will post more pictures when it is complete but here is what I have so far...adding horse manure this weekend.

maggiejigs20124 months ago

if the box is being used for vegetables I would not recommend pressure treated wood

tstreet1 year ago

I thought untreated wood was better so that chemicals don't leach out of the wood into the food?

salsamaker65 tstreet5 months ago

Pressure treated wood is a no go for us. We use cedar as it is more water resistant, rot resistant and healthier.

bhuvana.rama5 months ago

Somebody have any step by step picture instructions to build these? How will the bottom hold up all the weight?

HelenaTroy12 months ago

thank you for this! I'm visually impaired and need raised beds, but I'd only seen the start-from-the-ground ones, which would be too low - and building them to the height that I need would mean having to fill the lower part which the plants wouldn't reach.

I can make the boxes deeper, or make the legs longer, or both! and add a "reservoir" at the base to help with watering. thanks again

Marsh made it!1 year ago

My friend wanted these. we made the a little smaller and a little taller, but the was the inspiration. Thanks!

bgoodrich12 years ago

I love this,and want to make.I like the idea of rabbits and other creatures not being able to eat my plants,although? probably not deer proof..aw-well!
Thanks! for sharing!

Jhugs94462 years ago

I was so very Happy to find all of the imformation that i needed to build my raised beds.But what about the underlinning.What is best to keep it from drying out so fast. I feel if I use plastic it won't drain right.and what about the weight of it all on the screen.Is there any problems with it not wanting to hold? This was our concern..But Thanks for all of the other imformation.I do plan to use some old scap lumber.No it isn't treated.Is there anything that I can treat it with that isn't harmful to our health? I do hope this helps out my back.Still have two gardens but trying to do something a little different to.Thanks again my friends. Happy Gardening..

jennmoye3 years ago

I built something like this using salvaged wood, some of it was painted and most of it was whitewood- It was all free so I don't care how long it lasts- but I did line the entire thing with burlap coffee bean bags. (Lining it with plastic seems just as harmful as the pressure treated lumber...) Also, I used the wood to build the bottom with 1/2" gaps between. I feel like it dries out too fast, so I can't imagine how fast yours would be with the screen under it.
Did you have any trouble with your beds not having enough nutrients? Mine need constant fertilizing, despite the fact that I bought the organic soil that supposedly had enough fertilizer for three months. Would the constant draining of the soil strip it of nutrients faster?

lnwn3 years ago

I would like to put these on wheels so I can move them around to catch the sun. We don't have a spot that gets full sun. Any suggestions for how to do this well?

PaleoDan (author) lnwn3 years ago

If you go to your local big box hardware store, I would think you could find some solid wheels for a wheelbarrow or something similar. These should be strong enough and you could purchase metal rods there as well for your axels. I would try drilling holes through the legs then sliding your axels through and mounting your wheels. You will need to be careful to make sure your axel holes are lined up so that it does not bind. This will give you sid to side motion relatively easily but will not let you turn the boxes left or right. That would take mounting heavy duty casters to the bottom of the legs - those I think you could order from someone like Northern tools.

Please post a picture when you complete it.

Good luck

RedMeanie5 years ago

Nice, Im wondering do you think cedar would hold up just as good to the moisture? Something about treated lumber maybe leaching into the vegetables kind of worries me. We grow lots of cucumbers and tomatoes and eat them ALL the time so long constant exposure to some of those chemicals might be bad over time. If Im wrong please someone correct me because pressure treated lumber is really easy to acquire.
Im looking at doing these raised beds also but rectangular so I can make miniature "GreenHouses" out of them with 8 foot long clear corrugated roof panels shaped like an A with a piano hinge at the top for year round growing. Ive always lost my cucumber plants over the winter because I have in ground gardens. Lost some very good producers and I don't want to lose anymore.
Also working on some hanger systems that I will be posting soon. I have taken all the available designs including topsy turvey and some great ones on "Instructables" and Kind of morphed my own. I have all of them growing tomatoes, strawberries, and cucumbers, in the same area of the yard to do a side by side comparison. I dont think anyone has done that yet, maybe it will save some people with less time on their hands, some headache and disappointment.
Thanks Again, and Nice Project!

Tool Using Animal RedMeanie5 years ago

Old PT Bad Chromated copper arsenate.

New PT, much much less bad, Ammoniacal Copper Quat. Basically Copper Oxide and a quaternary ammoniacal compound (as commonly used in food service cleaning.)

RedMeanie Tool Using Animal5 years ago

I guess if we were to staple a liner of thick plastic "drop cloth" for painting it would stop the chemicals from contacting the soil. Ive seen it at Home Depot in some pretty thick options. I guess we would need to know what type of plastic they are made of too because it could possibly start to break down and we would be back to square 1. Any ideas on that?
We might be better off just using cedar. I believe cedar has some natural "Pest Control" attributes and that could be beneficial also.

rjcortez RedMeanie5 years ago

I use 6mi rolled black poly plastic to line the inside of my raised garden boxes. It provides an impenetrable membrane against leaching chemicals and pests.
http://www.insulatedgardenbox.com/interlocking-panels.JPG

Tool Using Animal RedMeanie5 years ago

I've lined gardens with visqueen which is a polyethylene, yes if it's exposed to the sun it will break down, but buried it lasts practically indefinitely.

The danger with the new PT lumber isn't to us, it's the plants, the leached copper can stunt growth.

PaleoDan (author) RedMeanie5 years ago

I think Cedar is a softer wood but should work fine. I think it will be quite expensive to purchase in larger sizes required to give your box enough depth, but should be fine. From what I have seen, it does have natural insect repellent features and will hold up well to the moisture.

If you are concerned about the chemicals, then Cedar seems to be a good option. Redwood might also work well.

As for a hanger, I used copper pipe, 1 inch in diameter as a frame that I attached plastic tomato cages to. I will add a picture of that to the last page. It works well.

Last, as for adding a "green house" over top, that should work well. Depending on where you live, you just need to remember that the cold will get under this box so it will never be as warm as a ground mounted one. Still better than nothing.

Have fun

NatureGeek245 years ago

Nice. I've referred a couple of friends to this who want to garden but can't dig up their "rental" yards.

Rocksterr5 years ago

Great instructable, just what I was looking for. Thanks.

thepelton5 years ago

The natural chemicals in Redwood and Cedar make them insect and worm resistant, but are not toxic to humans. I would probably still line it with visqueen, however.

Vailhem5 years ago

you gonna die when the chemicals from that treated wood get into your veggies