How to Make a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

Overview

Raised-bed vegetable gardens are easy to maintain. Raising the beds makes them easier to plant, weed and harvest. Although there are many ways to make raised beds, using stout cedar gives you wood beds that resist moisture and rot. By using stout cedar and heavy-duty wood bolts, your raised beds should give you years of gardening pleasure.

Step 1

Mark out the area that you would like to raise. String and nails are good materials for defining the area.

Step 2

Decide on the height of the garden. Many raised beds are three feet high.

Step 3

Cut four cedar 6-by-6 posts to the desired height of the garden, plus two feet. The extra two feet will be below ground to provide good support for your raised beds. If you make a larger bed, your posts should not be separated by more than four feet. Adjust the quantity of posts to suit the actual dimensions of your raised bed.

Step 4

Dig the holes for the posts and set them at least two feet into the ground.

Step 5

Cover the outside of the raised beds using cedar 2-by-4 or 2-by-6 lumber. Install the lumber by placing the lower course on the ground and pre-drilling bolt holes to prevent splitting. Attach the lumber to the posts with stout wood bolts. Although you can use nails, they are more likely to loosen because of the pressure of the soil in the beds. Continue building a solid wall of cedar boards until the sides of the raised garden bed are covered.

Step 6

Staple black plastic to the inside of the wood walls of your raised garden box, which prevents soil and water from working its way through the wood.

Step 7

Fill your raised bed with good quality gardening soil and level with a rake.