A raised bed is a garden that is built in benches. The bed can be built with boxes to create compartments in the box, making growing plants much easier for the gardener.
Raised beds are usually created in areas where there is poor or no soil. They are also used in areas where the soil contains toxins like lead or arsenic.
First, when building your raised bed you should lay out all your supplies and materials on the ground before you start building.
Find the end piece of the boards that will be used for your sides or bottom of your garden bed.
Put them on top of each other horizontally and make sure they are lined up uniformly side by side.
You should take one board, set it on top of the other boards and line it up at one of the corners.
Now you should hold the corner of your board with one hand, grab a drill with another hand and use the drill to drive two screws through the side of your box.
After this, take a slat from your lumber pile and place it on top of the boards. Keep in mind that it will need to be placed so the top of the slat is flush with your previous side board or at least slightly above it.
If you don’t, then your box will begin to bulge and fishing plants into each compartment becomes increasingly difficult.
When putting your next siding on keep in mind that there will be a gap between the slats.
Hold the next piece of board with one hand and press it against the side you screwed in, so that is flush with the top of your slat.
Once you have lined up your board correctly use your drill to put two screws through each side, holding this new piece together with the other side board.
You can repeat this process until you get to the top of your box, but be careful not to over tighten screws. If you do your wood may begin to split and crack.
Once you reach the end of your box make sure that there is a hole in one of the boards that will allow water or any other liquid to drain.
If you will be draining excess water from your garden, consider connecting a downspout to the bottom boards and running it underground and away from your garden.
Be sure this connection to the ground is below the frost line because any water left in this section of the bed could freeze and crack your wood.
When done properly these boxes can last for years because you are using pressure-treated wood to build the boxes, but if you choose to use decking material your bed may only last four or five seasons.
Depending on what kind of plants you want in your raised bed it can be beneficial to leave about an inch of space between each slat.
This will give them enough room to breath so they don’t suffocate.
If you have a large garden or one with very tall plants, consider using two different sized boxes.
This will allow you to fit your plants in the right place and allow them to grow correctly.
For example, if you plant a small box with herbs that only grow to be about six inches tall and the other side of your garden is for vegetables that grow over three feet tall it would be very difficult to reach all of your plants.
So that’s how to build Raised Garden Beds.
