# First Project: Raised Garden Bed



## Garett (Mar 11, 2013)

This is my first wood working project. A 4'x8' raised bed for growing vegetables. What do you think? Is this how you would join the pieces together?

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions!


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## Crusader (Jan 14, 2013)

Well that looks fine, but you may want to add one on the 8' span, they may start to bow out.
Also don't use pressure treated lumber, that's a big no-no with plants.
I will tell you from having a raised bed veggie garden that your lumber won't last very long, maybe a couple of years. I got tired of the hassle and finally built mine out of rock.


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## Garett (Mar 11, 2013)

I forgot to mention I'll be doing this out of cedar. Also using SS 2.5" screws.


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## against_the_grain (Aug 15, 2010)

I would second adding stakes along the length. When you start adding soil/compost the sides will bow outward. I built one of these years ago and purchased wooden stakes and pounded them into the ground spaced along the length. Solved that problem. You could incorporate them( the stakes) into the design along the sides as you have them at the corners.

Cedar will stand up good against the elements. You probably want to avoid chemically treated lumber or varnishes as those chemicals could leech into the soil and thus end up in your veggies.

Good Luck.


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

I built two of these in the front yard at my old house. They were made of red cedar deck boards, with the ends mitered and attached to corner posts. I was only there for two years after I built them, but here's what I learned:

1) Cedar is a great wood to use. If you leave it untreated, it goes to a beautiful silvery color after about a year.
2) Put in a stake at the four foot mark on the long sides. Otherwise the three boards will all bow, but not the same amount.
3) Don't miter the corners. Do them the way you've got them pictured.
4) Use cedar stakes for the corners. I bought cedar ballustrades intended for making deck railings.
5) Line them with landscaping cloth. It keeps the weeds down a little (at least for the first year or two, until seeds have blown in) and reduces the amount of dirt you lose out of the joints when it rains.
6) The corner stakes don't actually need to go into the ground if you've lined it with cloth. Dirt is HEAVY, and you're going to be putting a lot of it in. I only drove the stakes into the ground for one of the two boxes, and that's the one I hit with the riding mower when I got distracted by a bee trying to fly into my eye (it got caught behind my sunglasses. Fortunately it didn't actually sting me, since I react pretty badly to bee stings...). It didn't move an inch.

And on a related but non-wood note, I highly recommend mixing topsoil 50/50 with composted manure. I bought "Moo Dirt" brand stuff from a local garden center for one of the two boxes, and the veggies in there grew twice as fast and twice as large.


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## <*(((>< (Feb 24, 2010)

I built one out of cedar, then lined the insides with thick plastic sheeting to keep the water and dirt off the sides, to prolong the wood. The plastic was cheap and easy to install with staples, and I'm sure the wood will last a lot longer than with wet soil up against it. And you can hardly see it as I have a flat edge on top of the sides that overhangs an inch or so.


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## bradnailer (Nov 11, 2008)

<*(((>< said:


> I built one out of cedar, then lined the insides with thick plastic sheeting to keep the water and dirt off the sides, to prolong the wood. The plastic was cheap and easy to install with staples, and I'm sure the wood will last a lot longer than with wet soil up against it. And you can hardly see it as I have a flat edge on top of the sides that overhangs an inch or so.


That's what I was going to suggest. Great minds.....


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## <*(((>< (Feb 24, 2010)

Here's the one I built past summer from some extra western red cedar that I had left over. It's 4'x8', and it literally only took about 1.5-2 hours of work to build.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Unless you need to raise the bed I would just prep soil and plant directly. Work anything organic that you can get into the soil. When I was starting my backyard garden I even found a very old, rotten sawdust pile and included that. I also PAID a man to shovel the chicken sh8t out of his hen house.

Now, 35 years later, I have the best soil you can find.

I do use large nursery containers for some tomato and cucumber plants. These are for overrun plants that do not fit around the edge of the garden. 

George


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## MissionIsMyMission (Apr 3, 2012)

I think I would prolly use 3x3 stakes in the corners to give the sides and ends more to "Bite" into. I'd also prolly use deck screws for the attachments and or 5 minute epoxy for gluing to the stakes. 1x2 Mid Stakes would be a good thing too!


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## Doghouse (Mar 2, 2013)

Garett,

I agree with GeorgeC that soil condition (along with the amount of sunlight) is just as important. The raised bed concept definitely has some benefits. A raised bed provides excellent drainage and an overall neat appearance. In case you're not already aware of it's benefits, mycorrhizae fungus can do wonders for ensuring healthy plants. There's lots of good info about it available. Here's a link if you're curious: http://www.bio-organics.com/mycorrhizae/.

I really like your drawing. Can you tell me about the drawing program you used? I use TurboCAD for my woodworking drawings. But it has been difficult to learn 3D drawing with it.

Best regards


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## against_the_grain (Aug 15, 2010)

GeorgeC said:


> Unless you need to raise the bed I would just prep soil and plant directly. Work anything organic that you can get into the soil. When I was starting my backyard garden I even found a very old, rotten sawdust pile and included that. I also PAID a man to shovel the chicken sh8t out of his hen house.
> 
> Now, 35 years later, I have the best soil you can find.
> 
> ...


One big advantage of a raised bed George is the ability to extend the growing season. While that is probably not a problem in Florida, up north it obviously is. The soil heats up faster,retains heat better and allows for earlier plantings of certain types of veggies.


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Two more advantages to raised beds, especially when lined with fabric: there are fewer weeds, since runners can't easily get into them from underneath, and you don't have to bend as far to either weed or harvest.

My back certainly appreciated them after a long day sitting in an office chair.


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## Garett (Mar 11, 2013)

Doghouse said:


> Garett,
> I really like your drawing. Can you tell me about the drawing program you used? I use TurboCAD for my woodworking drawings. But it has been difficult to learn 3D drawing with it.


The program is used for this is Google SketchUp. I've used AutoCad and Solidworks in the past, but this is much cheaper (free) and easy to use.


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## Doghouse (Mar 2, 2013)

Thanks, I tried Sketchup a while back but as I recall, the drawings didn't render as well as yours did. may try it again sometime.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

against_the_grain said:


> One big advantage of a raised bed George is the ability to extend the growing season. While that is probably not a problem in Florida, up north it obviously is. The soil heats up faster,retains heat better and allows for earlier plantings of certain types of veggies.


That is a surprising comment. I would normally expect exactly the opposite because that raised bed is more exposed to the cold.

George


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

amckenzie4 said:


> Two more advantages to raised beds, especially when lined with fabric: there are fewer weeds, since runners can't easily get into them from underneath, and you don't have to bend as far to either weed or harvest.
> 
> My back certainly appreciated them after a long day sitting in an office chair.


Well, I guess if you are only planting a limited area that could be true.

What kind of runners do you have a problem with?

George


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

GeorgeC said:


> Well, I guess if you are only planting a limited area that could be true.
> 
> What kind of runners do you have a problem with?
> 
> George


Everything. Pigweed, various invasive vines, and a few things I never did manage to identify... but you'd pull one up, and start pulling the runner, and finally get to the next plant, on the other side of the house. 

The herb and berry beds right next to the house weren't raised, and I spent a ton of time cleaning them out. The raised beds were out in the middle of the lawn (suburbia... I couldnt' get away with plowing up the whole front yard to use as a garden) and full of veggies. Two 4x8 beds, and weeding the two of them took about a minute and a half. Sooner or later the landscaping fabric at the bottom will break down, but I figured I probably gained four or five years of no runner-spread weeds.

As to warming... those beds warmed up fast in the spring. Dark mulch on top, with a (relatively) large vertical surface means the soil could warm from the top and sides, rather than just the top. I oriented them with the long edge facing north-south, angled just a touch to the east.


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## Tilaran (Dec 22, 2012)

Go buy a roll of 12" galvanized flashing and a stick or three of #4 or 5 rebar.Cheap. Fast. Lasts a long time.
Forget Martha Stewart. I own Arenal Botanical Garden in Costa Rica. 
Avoid cross ties even if they're free.Realistically.... skip wood all together (other than for cooking). Block works well. Hard to keep it straight and $$$ in comparison.


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## against_the_grain (Aug 15, 2010)

GeorgeC said:


> That is a surprising comment. I would normally expect exactly the opposite because that raised bed is more exposed to the cold.
> 
> George


They warm up sooner and remain productive longer in the fall.

raisedgardenbeds.com


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## sjsak1 (Aug 22, 2013)

Didn't notice it mentioned, bt I would add a close mesh wire screen in the bottom. Helps keep tunneling type critters out of the bed.


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