raised garden beds

How to Make an Easy Raised Garden Bed

The total budget for this project is $100 or less. This will outline how to build one 8×4 raised bed.

Tool List:

• Power Drill
• Staple Gun or Hammer
• Wheel Barrow
• Shovel

Prep Time:
2 Hours; Includes time to go to the hardware store, find materials, select & have wood cut, unload at home.

Project Time:
3 Hours; Build frame, line, fill with dirt.

Material List;
1 box of 2 inch galvanized outdoor screws.
9 – 4″x8’x 1/2″ Cedar Boards – Straight & Untreated
(A cheaper material is a treated wood like pine. If you line the bed then this takes care of the soil being tainted by the wood treatement issue.)
2 Balusters – 2″x2″x36″ – cut to 10.5″ tall
The boards & balisters can be cut in store so they are ready to put together.
The balusters need to be cut to the length of 3 boards stacked on top of each other.
Roll of wire mesh.
Plastic Bed Liner (Not needed if using cedar)
Staples or small nails
Potting dirt

Approximate cost per bed for 8 ft x 4 ft:

9 Boards 8′ long x 2′ wide = $70
Screws = about $4.25 (half a box)
Balusters 2 x 1.49 = $3
Plastic Bed Liner = $12
Bottom Wire Mesh = $10
Final price = $99.25

INSTRUCTIONS

Plan to set your raised bed in a location in your yard that will receive the most sun. A garden needs at least 6 hours of full sun per day.

Get a helper for your build day.

Make sure your power drill is charged. You’ll need the 3/32 drill bit for the 2″ screws.

Set all materials and tools out at the build site. Line up the boards to get a 90 degree corner. Using a T-square is helpful but not necessary. Start at one corner, screwing the two boards together. Add a baluster support to each corner by screwing it in. Add one middle support balisters to each inner side.

Once your box frame is built, roll out the wire mesh and staple to what will be the bottom of your bed. This extra step keeps moles from eating the roots of your plants.

Staple plastic sheeting to the inside of the frame. This puts a barrier between the wood (if treated) and your garden. It also helps protect the wood, giving it a longer life.

The last step is to put it right side up in the place you want it to be and fill it with good planting soil. The better the quality of dirt the better your plants will grow.

If you have a mulching lawn mower an easy way to “make” potting dirt is to collect up all of the grass clippings and leaves from your yard in the fall and dump into a mulch pile. Once spring arrives you’ll have a big mound of rich potting soil.

For now though, if you need potting soil, call your local nursery. They will be sure to have great soil or local resources on how to get it. To save on a truck load of soil, split the cost with a friend or a couple of friends who want to come and get some of your dirt after it’s delivered.

Southern Growing Garden Tips 

• Use wire pyramids for tomatoes – install them while the tomato plants are small so they can grow up into them.
• Install a timed, automatic drip system for watering or water yourself – late in the afternoon. Don’t water earlier or you will scald the plants. When you water after the days highest heat is over the water soaks into the soil for a complete watering instead of evaporating before it can soak in.
• Use Triple 15 fertilizer & miracle grow the first time, then Triple 15.
• Send a soil test in early in the season to the 4H or other soil tester and they will tell you the right combination of fertilizer to grow the types of food your trying to grow.
• In Fairview, Tennessee, the soil is mostly clay. A raised garden bed is the perfect solution to control the soil and watering conditions for best garden results. 

A few local nurseries include;

Grow Wild
7190 Hill Hughes Rd, Fairview, TN 37062
Phone: (615) 799-1910

Moore & Moore Garden Center
8216 TN-100, Nashville, TN 37221
Phone: (615) 662-8849