We chose to build our beds out of western red cedar fence posts. Cedar is naturally resistant to rot. One 6"X1"X6' plank will set you back around $2 in the Vancouver, WA area. You can use any material you have available, just stay away from pressure treated wood or materials painted with an unknown material both of which can contain chemicals that can leech into your beds and eventually your plants.
Design
Our design was simplistic. Since our boards were 6' long our beds were built 3' by 3'. From our research the adequate depth for raised bed seems to be around 6" to 10". When your garden is full of good organic matter roots do not need to grow as deep as they would in a soil that is less nutritious.
Construction
Cutting the cedar boards exactly in half and making 3' by 3' squares and stacking them 2 squares high gave us 9 square feet per bed and approx 10.5" high. We drilled pilot holes bigger than the diameter of the screws to reduce the chance of the wood splitting. We drove the screws into the cedar with a electric impact. I highly recommend investing in one if you do any work around the house. The advantage we found with the impact was driving screws. The impact will drive screws that are impossible to drive with a standard electric drill.
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1X6X6' Cedar Fence Boards (untreated) Cut in half to 3' cost 1.88 each |
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The Board to the Right was Drilled Larger Than the Diameter of the Wood Screw the Board to the Left was Drilled With a 1/8" Pilot Hole to Reduce the Chance of Splitting
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As You Can See a Right Angle Clamp is Quite Useful Here
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3 of 4 Sides Finished
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1 3'X3'X5.5"Box Finished
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Two Boxes Were Stacked Together and Screwed Together With a Piece of Scrap 1"X1" ash Each Bed Had a Final Dimension of 3'X3'X11" Tall
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Landscape Fabric Over the Pavers
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| Cardboard Over the Landscape Fabric |
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