Build a raised garden bed

When we first set up the test garden in Silicon Valley, before it was the test garden and just the garden, we built two raised beds out of scrap lumber and a handful of hardware from the miscellaneous jar in the garage.

It wasn't super specific or technical or difficult or expensive. The only mandatories were that it be sturdy, durable and not hideously ugly.

I have standards, after all. Can't have plants growing in a wonky fugly raised bed that falls apart after one season - that would be wrong.

So, setting out with a vague design in mind, we created these first two beds with four sturdy posts sunk into the ground and 2x12 boards bolted to the outsides of the posts. Simple, durable and not terribly ugly. Then we added a bed each year, stopping at four.

The vegetables seem fine with it.

Until this year.

This year the test garden got a fifth bed so that we could expand our operation to include some new crops and so that we could have a bit more flexibility in the crop rotation.

Put me in, coach!

I mean, it's not like we're going to have a year where we *don't* grow tomatoes, after all. That's just the talk of the crazy, right there.

And because the process of building these beds is pretty simple and we get a good number of questions about how these things are built and is it hard and how do they hold up and so on, we thought a video would be a good idea.

Also, you know, it's an awesome way to grow vegetables, and we're sort of about that.

So, if you've always wanted to grow vegetables in a raised bed, this post is for you.  Watch the video, print the materials list (hit print at the bottom of the post and you can delete anything you don't want before printing), get nuts and grow something.

Build a raised bed

Materials:
3 2x12 Redwood boards (or other untreated lumber) cut into 2 8' sections and 3 3' sections (one won't be used for the beds)
1 4x4 post cut into 1 1/2' sections
16 lag bolts (corresponding size to the washers)
16 Fender washers (corresponding size to the bolts)

Tools:
Battery operated drill and/or corded drill (If you're using just a battery operated drill, have your battery fully charged before you start and, if you have one, charge that second battery while you work.)
Drill socket bit (corresponding size to the bolts)
Socket wrench
Socket bit for the wrench (corresponding size to the bolts)
Pencil
Tape measure
Bar clamp
Trenching shovel
Small mallet (optional)
Trowel (optional)
Level (optional, but oh so nice)

Time: About 2 hours start to finish

How to: Well, watch the video to be sure, but a quick summary of the steps...

Step 1: Build the bed end pieces
Attach one 1 1/2' 4x4 section to each end of one of the 3' 2x12 pieces with two washers and lag bolts apiece. Drill pilot holes before installing the bolts and washers so you don't have to blast through all that wood with just the bolts and the waning power of your battery operated drill.

Make two of these end pieces.

Step 2: Go out to the garden and dig the holes for the 4x4 posts

Set your completed end piece where you plan to place your bed and use it to determine where to dig your post holes. The idea is that you'll dig holes deep enough to keep the bed snug and sturdy in the ground, so you want the posts to sink deep enough so that the end board lies flat against the ground.

Drop one end piece in the ground and backfill the holes with enough soil that it will stand upright and level on its own.

Step 3: Use the 8' boards to determine where to set the second end piece

Prop the 8' boards against your set and finished end piece to determine where to dig the holes for your second end piece. You can also measure with the tape, but we've found this is the easiest way to get the fit just right without having to mess about with fixing the holes and such.

Just trust me on this one.

Once you've determined where to dig the holes, dig the holes. Right? Right. Then place the second end piece in the holes and backfill it with soil just like you did the first.

Step 4: Attach the 8' boards to the sides and finish the bed

Prop one of the 8' boards against the side of the end pieces, drill pilot holes for your bolts (two per corner) and then install the bolts and washers - eight bolts and washers in total.

You're done.

Fill it with soil, plumb it for irrigation if that's what you're into and get to planting something fabulous.

Bonus project: Make a garden bench with that leftover 3' section

If you build two of these beds and leave yourself about a foot between the beds, you can make a garden bench out of that leftover 3' section by screwing four short lag bolts (you don't want them to go all the way through the board) at the four corners so that it will sit snugly over the sides of the beds.

Of course, this means that you're going to need two raised beds, but I'm here to tell you that one is not enough. Or four. Or, probably, five...