How to Build Raised Garden Beds

Planters and flower pots are good introductions to gardening, but a great way to grow fresh edibles with limited space is with a DIY raised garden bed. Elevated garden beds are excellent for yards with poor or compacted soil. This guide outlines different types of raised garden beds and teaches the basics of how to build a raised garden bed, as well as how to plant and maintain your vegetables and flowers.

Types of Raised Garden Beds

Raised garden bed plans and kits come in different styles and sizes. These are great for growing herbs and your own vegetable ingredients for salsa or salad. Once you’ve mastered the gardening technique, you can build a DIY raised garden bed for seasonal flowers to add color to your landscape.

Kits offer a simple and fast way to begin gardening with minimal effort. They require no special tools or advanced skills and are easy to install following the manufacturer’s instructions. Kits are available in a range of sizes and materials, including:

• Cedar: Naturally resists rot and insects.
• Vinyl, Plastic, and Composite: Durable and resistant to warping.

DIY Raised Garden Bed:

• Materials: 2- x 10-inch lumber cut to length.
• Construction: Create a four-sided structure, place shorter walls flush to longer walls, drill pilot holes, and use 2-1/2-inch deck screws.
• Dimensions: Most vegetables need about 10 inches of soil. The bed should be four feet wide or less for easy access.

Safety Tip: Today’s pressure-treated wood is safe for use around people, pets, plants, and vegetables. If concerned, line the interior walls with sheet plastic before adding soil.

Raised Garden Bed Tips and Considerations

Sunlight: Choose a flat, sunny spot for your raised garden bed. Without proper sunlight, plants will not thrive.

Soil Condition: Don’t worry about the condition of the soil in your chosen location since you will be adding your own quality soil.

Stackable Kits: Some kits are stackable, allowing for deeper planting beds for long-rooted plants.

Leveling: Use a shovel to remove any ground that prevents the frame from resting in a level position.

Line with Landscape Fabric

Benefits: Protects against pests and prevents weeds and grass from growing up into the bed.

Materials: Weed block, hardware cloth, builder’s paper, or landscape fabric.

Installation: Secure the weed barrier with landscape fabric pegs around the interior edge of the raised garden bed.

Add Soil to the Raised Garden Bed

Soil Composition:

• Basic Mix: 60% topsoil, 30% compost, 10% potting mix.
• Adjust Proportions: Some vegetables, like tomatoes, prefer richer soil.

Calculating Soil Volume: Use the formula Length x Width x Depth to determine the amount of soil needed. For example, a bed measuring 8-feet by 4-feet by 10-inches will need about 27-cubic feet of soil.

Filling the Bed: Add enough soil mix to fill the bed, accounting for settling.

Add Seeds and Plants

Planting Tips:

• Spacing: Ensure plants are spaced far enough apart to allow room for growth.
• Arrangement: Place taller plants where they won’t block sunlight for shorter plants.
• Support: Use plant stakes, props, or tomato cages as needed.
• Watering: Water regularly if rainfall is scarce. Established plants need about one inch of water per week.

What to Grow in Your Raised Garden Bed

Themed Gardens:

• Salsa Garden: Oregano, cilantro, red onions, peppers, Roma tomatoes, and tomatillos.
• Salad Garden: Carrots, radishes, onions, lettuce, baby spinach, peppers, and tomatoes.
• Herb Garden: Oregano, cilantro, parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, chives, and basil.

Tip: Mint is a runner plant and is best planted in separate planters outside of the raised herb bed.

Flower Beds: Alternate rows of seasonal flowers to ensure year-round blooms. Flowers attract pollinators, increasing vegetable yields.

Conclusion

Building a raised garden bed is a rewarding project that offers numerous benefits for growing a variety of plants. Whether you need the right planters, seeds, or potting soil, The Home Depot delivers online orders when and where you need them. Keep your green thumb working by exploring additional garden projects and expanding your gardening knowledge.