Make your own raised beds in less than an hour and save big bucks.
Credit: Doreen G. Howard
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EmailEvery time I open a plant catalog or see a television commercial for sale-priced $99 raised bed gardening kits, I cringe! You don't need to spend that kind of money to build your own four-by-four-foot bed or even a 20-foot-long one.
My husband builds mine. He buys two 1 x 8-inch cedar boards, which don't rot with age. They come in 8-foot lengths, which is perfect for 4 x 4-foot beds. Cut each plank in half, so that it is 4-feet long. Or, you can have a home improvement/lumber store make the cuts. Many places will do it for free.
Husband also buys a 3-foot length of a 1 x 1-inch pine stake; he cuts it into four pieces and uses them to nail the cedar boards to at corners for bracing. That's all!
Grouping together several raised beds makes a substantial vegetable garden that is easy to maintain, with no weeding and crops that mature fast
I place the boxes on cleared ground. We cut and roll up our turf, but many gardeners do not think it is necessary. The added 6 inches of soil will bury most of the grass and weeds beneath. After I situate the boxes (four or five grouped together makes a good sized garden), I put down three layers of newspaper to suppress errant weed or grass seeds that might sprout. Paper degrades fully within weeks and feeds the soil.
Another fast, cheap method of building raised beds is to use concrete construction blocks. They have a big bonus. Their holes can be filled with soil mix and planted with herbs or strawberries.
The extra gathered heat from concrete is perfect for Mediterranean-type herbs such as rosemary and lavender. Strawberry plants grow huge and fruit fast in the holes. Each block is 16 inches long by 8 inches high; I purchase mine at big box stores as find the price most reasonable. Beds of 13 feet or longer by 4 feet wide are cheaper to build using blocks than with cedar boards.
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Cement construction blocks are a cheap method of building raised beds.
You will be planting seeds and transplants close, because the beds are smaller and the soil is richer. But, plants grown close together in raised beds mature faster, because they compete for nutrients and sunlight. Each plant senses the distance of others and adjusts its metabolism to compete. Several university studies have proven this competition syndrome by identifying how plants perceive others nearby using the green light spectrum.
This 4 x 4-foot bed is crowded with productive peppers, cucumbers, a tomato plant and insect-repelling flowers that are edible.
Raised Bed Soil Mix
The more organic matter there is in soil, the better. Soil microbes are fed, oxygen and water
readily reach roots and plants thrive. Here’s the recipe I’ve developed in the last decade that
works best for my garden.
For one 4 x 4-foot raised bed. (Multiply amounts to fill larger beds.)
2 bags (2-cubic-feet each) top soil
1 pail (3-cubic-feet) peat moss
1 bag (2 to 3-cubic feet) compost or composted cow manure
2-inch layer of shredded leaves or grass clipping.
If you use grass, make sure the clippings are not from a lawn that has been sprayed with herbicides or been fertilized with a food that contains granular herbicides to kill weeds. Both persist and will kill plants beds up to three years after the initial application.
Mix all materials with a hoe or cultivator and water well. Be sure to mulch well with organic Matter such as more leaves or clippings or straw.
Doreen Howard has written for The Old Farmer's Almanac All-Seasons Garden Guide for 15 years and is the former garden editor at Woman’s Day as well as a photographer. She has grown more than 300 varieties of heirloom edibles and flowers in the last two decades.
From The Old Farmer's Almanac: Sign up to receive a FREE guide (A $4.95 value!) plus updates from Almanac.com.
Comments
raised beds
I love both these ideas Doreen! Sometimes simplest is best :)
Raised beds
My beds are made with untreated boards 2"x 10"x 16' & 3' wide. I live in Western NC & ground is rocky so I started them out with leaf loam from woods, bags of top soil & bags of compost. I also added some leftover fishing worms..lol I mulch with bales of wheat straw that I shred up with push mower & use rabbit manure & fish emulsion for feeding & compost when available. So far...looking good :~)
Rabbit manure is great! I
Rabbit manure is great! I used to have rabbits and had huge plants and veggies.
Raised Bed gardens
Moved to SE Alabama over a year ago. Was busy with the house the first year, this year I am starting to construct my raised beds. I noticed that there were a lot of Gopher tortoises and Rabbits on my property, so decided to go with the raised beds. I constructed mine with cement blocks on the bottom row and 2"x 12" cedar on top of them, using 2"x2" 4' in each corner. This way I can cover is we have a frost in the cooler growing season or use PVC lattice to cover if it get too hot and when the plants are young. My neighbor says I need to put fake wheels on them and they will look like covered wagons.
I find that these beds hold water much better than ground plantings. Once the plants mature the whole bed is shaded and I only have to water every other day, even in 3 digit temps. I wish I could attach a picture of the beds, 2 are completed and planted and 2 are on the way. The other advantage is I don't have to bend over, with my bad hips and knees.
Raised Garden Beds.
HILLBILLY;
I enjoyed your post. I'm glad to hear that someone else uses PVC for a cover/shelter. I've been using it for many years myself. Never glued but pushed together {some I had to drill and add a fininsh nail to keep together) makes it easy to store when not necessary. It also makes it easy to either cover with burlap for sun protection/ retaining the moisture/ or even helping with the frost. an old sheet works well for the frost.
Thanks - I'm going to move my wagon wheels to the outside of the planter. Have fun in your 'prarie scooner.'
49hillbilly, did the gophers
49hillbilly, did the gophers stay out of the raised garden? I've thought I'd have to put down some hardware cloth to keep them out, because I'm over run with them.
49hillbilly, I would love to
49hillbilly, I would love to understand how you make the PVC lattice to cover this raised bed. I seem to have the latest and the earliest frost in my neighborhood. I need an easy way to protect for a little longer growing season. Any more detailed description would be appreciated!
Raised Garden/Flower/Shrub Beds - Compost Bin
Thank you for your post. These provide flexability in size/ shape/ and being up, they make maintenance and harvesting easier.
I'm with you DOREEN I don't like the cost or limited sizes/shapes of the pre-fab ones.
I've used these raised beds for years with great success in Calif. & Kansas & now in Arizona … YES the desert where 'soil' is not easy to find. (I'm jealous of your soil in the picture). I've always used 'Cinder Blocks' without cementing them together (up to - two high). I like the cinder block as it also acts to wick moisture and prevent over watering where drainage may pose a problem [KS - clay]. For looks this time, I used the split faced cinder block & topped with some red pavers, again not cemented. This was for a planter that runs the length of our Block wall fence 50+ ft..
I had to make some soil by mixing gypsum/ Peat moss/ sulpher/ and some planter mix [on sale close out stuff] and mixed with the 'native SAND.' [the mix is always dependant on the Native ground & Chemicals used in the Water Supply] Through composting (*see below) & incorporating back to the planters they seem to get better & more productive each year. They serve as all year Shrub planters with veggies in between during the seasons.
* Also made a 'compost' bin this way by leaving one half of a 4ft side open & four blocks high - blocks filled with sand to keep in place & staggered joints - a plywood top and a piece of peg board with (painted w/water seal) for the side opening to allow air circulation/mixing the pile & getting the compost out. Works great.
Happy Gardening to all & hope I've maybe given a helpful idea to someone.
Additional tip -
You can use the same three layer method of newspaper along the bottom and seams of both kinds of raised beds in the article to prevent soil wash-out. The newspaper is porous enough to drain adequately and will degrade by the end of the season to be composted into the soil.
Raised Beds
I've been using cement blocks for several years now. The marigolds and herbs are planted in the holes. Thanks for the strawberry idea. How do you contain the runners?
PaBLo
Re: Raised Beds
I let the runners ramble and root somewhere. Then, I cut the runner off, dig up the rooted plant and put it elsewhere. When I have too many, I pinch off runners and discard or share with friends.
Raised Beds
I wish I had the gumption to give this a try. I've tried and tried over the past 15 years to have a garden with almost no success. I plant and plant and nothing comes up. I've turned the soil, mulched, fertilized, begged and pleaded and nothing comes up. Peppers, lavender, lima beans, onions, carrots, peas, melons, green beans....nothing grows. Oh, one or two might pop-up, but quickly die. The only thing that has ever grown were zucchinis. This year two green bean plants sprung up from last year's attempt and they're doing fine. I didn't plant anything this year. Just pulled the weeds, covered the plot with mulch & bark and let the mint and nasturtiums take over. At least the mint smells good and the nasturtiums are pretty!
do a soil test
Have you taken a soil sample to your Co-operative Extension Office yet? They'll test your soil for a small fee. And as far as fertilizing goes if your using "Miracle Grow" or even one of the other type that you dilute with water it's possible to over fertilize if your using it more often than the 7 to 14 days recommended. A few years ago I ruined my soil for bell peppers by watering every other day with it. 3 years later all I succeed in doing is growing stunted pepper plants.
Hello sorry to tell you
Hello sorry to tell you artificial and chemical fertilizer such as mircle grow is the worst thing you can use it causes salt build up kills natural bacteria and fungus that are essential in the soil to break it down to make the neccessary elements available to the plants aswell as they continue to break down organic material in your soil that turns it to healthy soil for the plant aswell as the bacteria make all other nutrients in the soil available to the plant another words those chemical fertilizers and chemical type liquid emultions kill of this healthy bacteria that is essential to break down the components that are in the soil so the plants will prosper!AND BY THE WAY MOST PEOPLE DON'T RELIZE LOTS AND MOST OF THE TIME OUR SOIL HAS ENOUGH OF THESE NUTRIENTS AND FERTILIZER IN IT ALREADY SO OVER FERTILIZING IS DANGEROUS IT NOT ONLY CAUSES SALT BUILD UP BUT BURNS ROOTS AND KILLS PLANTS THE KEY HERE IS TO BUILD UP THE NATURAL BACTERIA IN YOUR SOIL BY PUTTING HORSE AND COW MANURE IN IT ASWELL AS WATERING IT WITH 3 TABLESPOONS OF MOLLASSES TO ONE GALLON OF WATER TO WET THE WHOLE THING WITH IT TO GIVE THE NATURAL HEALTH BACTERIA A FOOD TO EAT SO THEY MULTIPLY SO THEY WILL BREAK DOWN ORGANIC MATTER FOR YOU AND MAKE THE NPK THAT IS ALREADY IN YOUR SOIL AVAILABL TO THE PLANTS AND BY THE WAY AND GRANITE DUST OR GRANULES FROM A ROCK QUARRY ON TOP OF MANURE IT NOT ONLY GIVE YOU LONG TERM POTASH THAT IS SAFE BUT ADDS TRACE MINERALS ALSO GET SOME BASALT DUST OR GRANULES FROM A ROCK QUARRY ASWELL IT IS LOADED WITH TRACE ELEMENTS THAT YOU NEED FOR YOUR PLANT ADD A VARIETY OF ORGANIC MATTER SHREDDED LEAVES MANURE A LITTLE LIME SOME SHEEP PELLETS FEED MADE WITH SOYMEAL,AFALFA,CORNMEAL,MOLLASSES BYPRODUCTS,ECT. :ONLY $16 FIR 50 LBS. AND I WILL GAUREENTEE YOU YOU WILL HAVE GREAT SUCCES AVERAGE THE FIRST YEAR GREAT AFTER THAT BE SURE TO THOUROUGHLY MIX ALL OF IT TOGETHER IN THE TOP 5 TO 6 INCHES OF GARDEN SOIL AT THE END OF THE SEASON MULCH IT OVER WITH ABOUT 4 TO 6 INCHES OF SHREDDED LEAVES LET IT SIT ALL WINTER PULL SHREDDED LEAVES TO ONE SIDE WHEN SPRING COMES PLANT YOUR PLANTS AND BECOME PLEASANTLY SURPRISED iF YOU NEED ANY FURTHER HELP JUST EMAIL ME AT GFJBTHLLR@YAHOO.COM
Your lack of punctuation and
Your lack of punctuation and all caps rambling doesn't give me confidence in your opinion, Georgie. Thanks for trying to help, I think.
alternative raised bed gardening
I read an article on gardening without having to plow up the soil, and will try it next year. Buy one or more bales of hay (not straw or pine needles) and soak with water for 4 or 5 days. Then use a trowel to make holes in the bales for your plants. The bales will provide nutrients and keep the plants virtually weed-free. Great for apartment or condo dwellers with limited space.
I've used haybales for the
I've used haybales for the past two years to grow my tomatoes. They work great! No weeding and no blight. If you google or search haybale gardening there is a web site that will tell you all about. MN
That would work well for
That would work well for those of us who aren't allergic to hay (like I am).
I have several cedar boards
I have several cedar boards in my garage already. Can't touvh them without getting splinters, will they be ok to use?
I plan on making some beds
I plan on making some beds this year and have been doing a little research. I came across a blog by Ana-White who used cedar fence boards to make her boxes by just squaring off the top inch of the board. I thought it was very clever, and much cheaper!
I really like the cement
I really like the cement brick idea. I already have a bed made of wood that I put my green house over at the begining of growing season or to extend the season. but I am expanding and the cost of a cement one is less. it would be approx 30.00 and it does not rot. Thanks for the info.
And a bonus the hole in the bricks I could use to grow flowers and herbs. Thanks Hillbilly.
I'm knew to raised beds and
I'm knew to raised beds and gardening in general. The reason I want to use raised beds to keep it as organic as possible. Just bought out house and don't know the history of the ground where I am placing the garden but using chemical lawn service is big in the neighborhood. Is there a bottom on the raised bed that would separate it from the ground? If not, do typical garden plants (lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini etc) have shallow enough roots that they won't grow in to the ground below the bed? Thanks! I am looking forward to my new garden planning this fall and winter!
Chemical pollution is a good
Chemical pollution is a good reason to garden in raised beds. Try placing 6 layers of newspaper on the ground before filling beds. The paper degrades, but it becomes part of the organic stew of soil in the bed you created. There, soil microbes thrive to feed and protect your plants. Eventually, these microbes colonize in the soil below the beds. And, yes, most of the veggies you mention have fairly shallow root systems; plus they stay where nutrients and water are available.
I'm planting garlic and
I'm planting garlic and onions. Could I add Vermiculite to the mixture? How much?
Yes, you can add vermiculite
Yes, you can add vermiculite or perlite or shredded pine bark. All of them will create loose soil that bulbing veggies love. Don't use shredded cedar bark, as it has a growth inhibitor in it. That's why it makes good mulch for flower beds to keep weeds away.
Hey 49hillbilly, did the
Hey 49hillbilly, did the gophers stay out of the raised garden? I've thought I'd have to put down some hardware cloth to keep them out, because I'm over run with them.
We have been in our home for
We have been in our home for a year now and had a fairly successful garden for a brand new garden. I would really like to make it a series of raised gardens but the cost of cedar in Ontario is aprox $20 per plank and the cement block is $3.62 per block. Both options work out to be about $100 per bed sized 4x12. Sigh any other suggestions?
Prices do vary by region.
Prices do vary by region. You could salvage bricks and blocks from demolition sites for free. I've done that when younger and my budget was very tight. Large rocks work, too, if you can find a siet where you can dig them up for free.
I've read that concrete
I've read that concrete blocks contain chemicals that can leach into the soil and it's not good to use them for food gardens (vs flower). Have you heard of this or know anything about it? I'd LOVE to use blocks if it's safe!
I've never seen any evidence
I've never seen any evidence that concrete blocks contain harmful chemicals. But...if block are scavenged, you don't know what has been sprayed on them or what they have absorbed. Stick with new blocks.
Concrete is made up of lots
Concrete is made up of lots of chemicals, retarders and C-ash and F-ash and cement and ....I used to make it. Ran a concrete plant. Will it harm your plants or you? I dunno...but if you're worried about the chemicals in there, use wood. :)
I wanted a raised vegetable
I wanted a raised vegetable bed at our leased camping lot. The ground there is full of rocks. I used vinyl clad garden fencing cut to the height of 19". This was bent into the shape of a "U" by using a 2x4 as a metal break (that I stood on while bending). This left aprox 3.5" bottom of the "U" and the sides of 7.75". I used 18" rebar in the corners and every 3' inside to make it stay more sturdy. Then I got buckets of rocks from my neighbor (who has a huge pile he didn't want) and filled in the whole "U" with rocks. I placed black plastic on the inside of the bed on the walls to keep the dirt inside. The fencing was wired from the outside of the "U" to the inside of "U" on top and all were attached to the rebar also. It retained the soil very well and was very unique looking. Used material I already had or given to me for free, but, don't believe it would cost so much if you had to buy it and it.
Would the cinder block bed
Would the cinder block bed work in the desert? We live in SW CA where the ground is hard sand.
Cement blocks will hold heat
Cement blocks will hold heat at night and add to the bed's heat during torrid days. You'd be better off with cedar boards, as they won't hold the heat.
I wish I could find cedar
I wish I could find cedar this cheap. I 1x6x8 is almost 16 dollars so multiply that by 2 and you are already up to 32 bucks not including screws and a piece of wood for the stake. Still love the ideas and it is still cheaper than buying them already made.
I was wondering what material
I was wondering what material you are using in this picture for the walking area of the garden? Did you also put it under the raised beds?
Dirt with straw over it.
Dirt with straw over it. Weeds are a constant problem in the paths for me. So I scalp them all at season's beginning and then toss straw, shredded leaves or any other slow-to-decay mulch over the paths.
I am trying to start a
I am trying to start a garden, my mom had always gardened when I was younger. I am now a college student. I live in NC and the soil near my house is nonexistent, it is mostly clay. I was wondering if I do a raised garden bed and just put newspaper on the bottom and then buy the soil from the store will that work? I will probably go off of the ingredients listed here to put in the bed but I was not sure if it was okay to just put the raised bed on top of leaves if i put newspaper down first?
Yes, do put newspapers down
Yes, do put newspapers down first. If there is turf, mow it as low as possible or scalp the soil with a hoe first. Four layers of paper is best; then layer the organic materials. Garden soil, sold in 3 cubic-foot bags is heavy and really needs peat moss or light compost added to losen up the texture. Good luck!
Can I cut down small trees to
Can I cut down small trees to make a raised bed garden. Also will white pine needles kill my plants as there is a huge w- pine near my intended spot.
White pine needles make great
White pine needles make great mulch; they don't harm plants. I wouldn't put a bed over a freshly-cut-down tree. Remaining tree roots sprout new growth many times. Wait a couple of seasons before putting a garden there.
I have been wanting to make a
I have been wanting to make a raised garden can old railroad ties work or will the chemicals in them go to the plants?
I live in centeral florida and our yard is reclaimed phosphate land our "yard" is so hard sometimes takes a stick of dynamite to plant a tree or anyting.
got any tips?
I'd avoid railroad ties, even
I'd avoid railroad ties, even old ones. They leach toxic chemicals for decades. Concrete blocks are an inexpensive substitute.
I used railroad ties from the
I used railroad ties from the garden center that were left behind when we bought our home. I covered the ties and the ground with plastic cuz I was worried what was there before me. Planted strawberries and they have progressed nicely over the last 4 years. Except for Mr. Bunny and his family. So I'm going to replace this bed with the concrete blocks. Q: Since 6 layers of newspaper disintegrates at the end of the growing season, does that mean I have to dig it all up next year and put down another 6 layers of paper?
No, you don't have to dig up
No, you don't have to dig up dirt and replace newspaper. By the end of the first season, weeds are killed. The second season and thereafter, layer more compost and leaf mulch on beds in spring before planting. I dump my shredded leaves in the autumn on the raised beds and let them rot all winter. Then I just add a 2-3 inch layer of compost before planting.
I am wanting to have a raised
I am wanting to have a raised garden bed this year. Question I have is do I just lay bed on the ground or do I put it on something? I really want to try these this year.
You might want to put down
You might want to put down cardboard or newspaper in the area where you'll put your boxes or boards. This will keep the weed and grass seeds buried. Then fill your boxes or beds with a 4 to 12 inches of compost, composted manure, and soil. Good luck!
The cheapest pine in southern
The cheapest pine in southern CA was $8.59 for an 8 ft board 8" wide. Cedar was out of site.
That should have read
That should have read 1"x8"x8'
Do I have to kill the grass
Do I have to kill the grass if I place it on the ground? My first idea was to build a raised bed 3 feet from the ground 6ft x 6ft but I am wondering what I should put on the bottom to hold the soil. Would chicken wire work?
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