How to Frame Garden Beds With Logs

A raised-bed garden may be ready to be planted before a standard garden.

Raised beds heat faster in the spring than soil in the ground. By using a raised bed to grow vegetables, you can begin your growing season sooner than if you plant your vegetables in the ground. There are many types of borders you can use to create garden beds, from stones to plastic. However, for a more rustic appearance, you can create a garden bed using logs from felled trees.

Things You'll Need

• Chainsaw
• Axe
• Bricks
• Mallet
• Metal wedges
• Measuring tape
• Garden hose
• Spade
• Shovel
• Branch loppers
• Drill
• Spade bit
• Rebar stakes
• Peat moss
• Compost
• Perlite

Instructions

1. Create a log by limbing a fallen tree. To do this, stand uphill from the tree so that it will not roll over you as you remove the limbs. Ensure that your footing is stable and that the limbs will not be dragged out from beneath you if the tree shifts position. Remove the limbs by slicing them off flush with the trunk of the tree.

2. Prop the tree limb against old bricks to keep it from shifting as you split it. Look for a natural crack in the tree to get started, or make a crack using an axe. Green trees may not have a natural split, but trees that have been sitting for awhile will begin to crack as they cure.

3. Turn the log so that it faces upward. Insert metal wedges in the crack. Widen the crack with the wedges by striking them with a mallet. The wedges will split the tree in half and make usable logs for a raised bed.

4. Measure and mark the boundaries of your garden bed using the garden hose. Create a trench that is 6 inches deep by 2 inches wider than your log by carving out the sides of the trench with a spade and removing the soil using a scoop shovel. Cut away any roots that you find, using branch loppers.

5. Place the log in the trench with its flat side down. A large log will create a substantial wall for a raised bed. Larger logs will also not shift easily. For smaller logs, drill a hole through the center of the wood using a drill and spade bit. Drive rebar stakes through this hole and straight down into the ground to anchor the wood in place.

6. Mix a synthetic potting soil using one part peat moss, two parts compost and one part perlite. Fill the raised bed with this mixture.

References

• Texas A&M University Extension: Building a Raised Bed Garden
• University of Missouri Extension: Felling, Bucking and Limbing Trees
• University of Missouri Extension: Preparing Wood for Your Wood Stove

Resources

• Regia Anglorum: Viking Ship Construction