How to Make a Vegetable Garden Box

Vegetable garden boxes provide an abundance of fresh seasonal produce.

While everyone does not have an adequate space in the ground for a vegetable garden, most people can grow vegetables in a garden box. The size for a box can range from a square-foot for growing greens to a four-by-four-foot bed for growing a small kitchen garden. Garden boxes make gardening accessible to all people. Make garden boxes from a naturally rot resistant wood such as cedar so that they will last for many seasons.

Things You'll Need

• 1-by-12-by-36-inch cedar boards, 4
• L-brackets with screws, 8
• Screwdriver
• 38-by-40-inch square of landscaping fabric
• Staple gun

Instructions

1. Place two cedar boards parallel to each other on a work surface approximately 36-inches apart. These are the sides. Place the remaining two boards between the sides for form a box. These are the ends. This will create a 36-by-38-inch garden box.

2. Align L-brackets on the inside of the box in the corners where the sides butt up against the ends. Use two brackets per corner. Align one approximately two inches down from the top edge. Align the other approximately two inches up from the bottom edge of each corner. Mark the bracket holes with a pencil.

3. Screw the brackets in place so they are aligned with the pencil marks. Brackets provide more support for the box than simply screwing through the boards into each other. In addition to the added strength, brackets will keep the box square.

4. Align the landscaping fabric over the box. Allow two inches of excess to extend past the sides and ends of the box.

5. Fold the excess fabric down over the sides and ends and staple it in place. Space the staples evenly approximately every two inches. This is the bottom of the box and will allow drainage while discouraging weed growth. Flip the box over and put it in a desired location.

Tips & Warnings

• Select a spot for the vegetable garden box in an area that receives full sunlight. Press the box firmly against the ground to seat it in place. Fill the box with potting soil. The soil should be level with the top edges of the box sides. Plant a tomato plant, pepper plant, lettuce greens, radishes, and herbs for fresh cooking ingredients throughout the season.

• Never use treated wood since the toxins in the wood could enter the soil and your vegetables.

References

• Raised Vegetable Gardens: How to Make a Home Made Raised Garden
• Sunset: The Perfect Raised Bed
• Square-foot Gardening Foundation

Resources

• HGTV: Design a Raised Vegetable Garden