How to Construct Raised Garden Beds

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By Amy Rose
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Construct Raised Garden Beds

Here's how to make easy-to-build raised garden beds that are so functional, one market gardener uses them exclusively and earns a full-time income from her raised bed gardening.

See Resources below for a full photo of these actual raised beds, and the story of the gardener who turned them into a business. Unlike some raised bed systems, these beds are flexible in that you can add on a foot or two each year, or easily decrease size a little, whatever your needs may be.

Further, once all your relatively inexpensive materials are gathered, you can have a raised bed garden growing within an hour with no digging, tilling, sawing or hammering. Your soil will start out rich and fertile, and become even deeper and richer with no "double digging."

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Article explains amounts needed and where to purchase:
Cinder blocks, also called concrete blocks.
Old mostly B&W newspaper, old brown shopping bags, and/or old flattened brown cardboard
Your own or purchased organic compost. If your own, it should be aged enough for planting.
Organic unsulfured black strap molasses.
Kelp meal
Alfalfa meal
Box of stinging nettle tea bags
Your garden seeds or garden starts

Step 1

Estimate the number of cinderblocks (concrete blocks) needed. These will become your 8" high raised bed edging. Most are a touch over 7 1/2" wide by 15 1/2" long. You'll need three for each end, and length is up to you.
Step 2

Gather your materials near, but not on, your garden bed building site. Cinderblocks are sold at garden and building supply stores and occasionally second hand. The newspaper, paper bags and cardboard come from yours and your friends and family's recycle bin. Organic compost, seeds and garden starts, kelp meal and alfalfa meal come from garden centers. Molasses and nettle tea come from health food stores.
Step 3

Make your brew. The following concoction is almost like magic for gardens. The alfalfa adds serious natural growth stimulation and nitrogen, the molasses kick starts the life in the soil, drawing in earthworms, and adds major minerals that garden plants love. The nettle and kelp add trace elements in perfect balance often missing even in organic soils. They'll help your plants resist insects, drought and frost. Earthworms will come in droves, deepening and enriching your garden bed over time without you having to do any "double digging." To one gallon of very warm water, mix two tablespoons of molasses, a cup of alfalfa, a half cup of kelp, and three stinging nettle tea bags. Let it brew and cool while you now make your garden beds. Number of gallons depends on the size of your garden.
Step 4

Mark where the raised garden bed area will be. Your garden beds will be about 54" wide, and as long as you choose to make them. Many people choose 2-foot paths. If you want to push a cart down the paths, measure the cart and adjust your path width. You can mark where you plan to put them with anything biodegradable, such as small sticks. You don't have to till. If the area is lawn, it's easier if it's mowed, and any obviously large stones can be set out of the way.
Step 5

Lay down cardboard or six layers of paper over the entire area, slightly overlapping the edges. Spray with water to soak them.
Step 6

Make the garden bed frame. Set the cinderblocks in place one by one, with the holes facing up. Each end needs three cinderblocks across, with a fourth one turned to start the the side of the raised bed... so each end is about three and a half cinderblocks in length. When finished, you should have an edging of cinderblocks ringing the paper or cardboard.
Step 7

Fill in with compost.
Step 8

Strain and evenly sprinkle your "brew" on the beds' compost to moisten it a little. Fluff it with your hands or a garden tool, then pat it down again.
Step 9

Plant and gently water your garden.
Step 10

Choose what to do with the holes. The holes left in the cinderblocks are the favorite part of some gardeners who use this method. Some like to grow herbs in them, because many herbs prefer a less rich soil. So the holes are filled with a sterile potting mix that's not quite so fertile, and just a little compost. Then individual herbs are planted in the holes. Others like to use them as organic fertilizer containers. Aged manure or compost is packed into the holes, which are then watered to release a manure or compost tea. These need to be watched to avoid sprouting weeds. The third choice is topping some of them with a concrete paving block. This allows a nice sitting area for working. The blocks are the same size as the top of the cinderblocks, and are purchased at garden and building supply centers.