How to Build a Tiered Garden

A lush garden adds beauty to your home, but even if space is limited you can still enjoy a rich garden of flowers, fruits, vegetables or decorative plants. Tiered gardens have all of the benefits of a raised bed, such as improved productivity and warmer soil, while saving space. You can build a tiered garden which features three to four square feet of growing space in a short afternoon.

Things You'll Need

• 12 boards, 2-by-8 inches, 2 feet long
• 4 boards, 1-by-4 inches, 21 inches long
• Wood screws, 3 inches and 2 1/2 inches long
• Drill
• 8 boards, 2-by-8 inches, 1 foot long
• 4 boards, 1-by-4 inches, 14 inches long
• 9 cubic feet of potting or garden soil

Instructions

1. Arrange four of the 2-foot long, 2-by-8-inch boards into a square. Make the corners flush. Secure each corner with two 3-inch wood screws using a drill or electric screwdriver. Repeat this step twice more to make two more 2-foot squares just like the first.

2. Stack the three 2-foot squares on top of one another to form a cube shape which is 2 feet tall. Align the corners to make the three squares run flush to one another.

3. Stand the 21-inch long, 1-by-4-inch boards upright and position each one into the inside of each corner. Screw through the 2-by-8-inch boards and into the 1-by-4-inch boards with 2 1/2-inch screws at each corner to secure the box.

4. Repeat the process of Step 1 to construct 2 squares which are made from the 1-foot long, 2-by-8-inch boards. Stack the two squares as in Step 2 to form a small cube. Secure the cube by screwing the 14-inch long, 1-by-4-inch boards upright to each corner as in Step 3.

5. Place the large, 2-foot cube over flat ground in an area of full or part sun depending on the types of plants you want to grow. Fill the cube with potting soil to the upper edge of the bed.

6. Stack the 1-foot cube over the soil of the 2-foot cube. Center the smaller cube over the larger cube with 6 inches of room on all four sides, rotate the 1-foot cube on the diagonal and center it to leave triangles of growing space at each corner of the 2-foot cube, or position the small cube along one corner of the larger cube for a leaning pyramid style.

7. Press the smaller cube downward into the potting soil by 2 to 3 inches. Fill the small cube with potting soil to the top. Plant into the small cube and portions of the large cube which have soil available with the plants you prefer (see Tips for ideas).

Tips & Warnings

• Create a kitchen garden by planting a tomato plant in the center box and spinach, basil, onions and other short produce items in the large box. Make a flower garden by adding a specimen perennial in the small box and colorful annuals in the large box. Form a fruit garden by planting a blueberry bush or dwarf fruit tree into the small cube and place strawberries in the large cube.

• Cedar wood is preferred for many garden projects for its rot resistant properties.

• Place the tiered garden on a deck or patio by attaching a sheet of plywood to the base and drill a few drain holes before filling with soil.

• Lengthen the life of your tiered garden by lining the inside and bottom surface of the cubes with landscaping plastic. Coat the outside surface and top with a waterproof sealant.

References

• “McGee & Stuckey’s The Bountiful Container”; Rose Marie Nichols McGee, Maggie Stuckey; 2002
• University of Minnesota Extension: Raised Bed Gardens
• Purdue University Extension: Container and Raised Bed Gardening