How to Build a 4 X 8 Raised Garden Bed
Raised garden beds create areas of soil that are higher than the surrounding soil. This form of intensive gardening allows gardeners to grow vegetables in a smaller space than a traditional garden. Raised gardens allow more control over soil content and texture. The soil warms up more quickly in the spring than the surrounding soil. A narrow raised garden bed allows a gardener to work the bed from both sides. A 4-foot-wide raised garden bed puts the center of the bed within easy reach. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Four 6-by-6-inch wooden blocks, 12 inches long
- Two 12-by-1-inch wooden boards, 4 feet long
- 32 3-inch wood screws
- Electric screwdriver
- Two 12-by-1-inch wooden boards, 8 feet long
- Carpenter's level
- Shovel
- Large tarp
- Garden hoe
- Peat moss
- Sand
- Rake
Instructions
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1
Remove the weeds, grass and debris from a growing area located in full sun. Grass and weeds will grow through the soil in the raised garden bed if they are left under the bed.
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2
Take a 6-by-6-inch wooden block and align it with the end of a 4-foot board. Secure the board to the block using four 3-inch screws and an electric screwdriver. Place the screws 3 inches apart. Align an 8-foot board with the other side of the block at right angles to the first board and screw it in. One corner of the raised bed is finished.
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3
Create the rest of the corners in a similar fashion, joining the boards until the raised garden bed frame resembles a bottomless box. Place the frame on top of the soil and use a carpenter's level to determine the evenness of the planting area. Dig under the edges of the frame with a shovel to remove any humps of soil that make the frame uneven.
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4
Remove the top 12 inches of topsoil from within the frame and place it on a large tarp. Break the soil clumps up with the edge of a garden hoe. Remove any rocks. For every two parts of topsoil add one part of peat moss or compost and one part sand. Mix the soil amendments into the topsoil.
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5
Loosen an additional 6 inches of soil in the bed by digging it up and breaking up large soil clumps. Return the amended topsoil to the raised garden bed frame. Fill the frame with soil up to 2 inches from the rim, which leaves room for mulching after planting. Rake the soil smooth and level. The raised garden bed is ready for planting.
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Tips & Warnings
Vegetables planted in a raised garden bed are planted closer than in a normal garden. The rows of plants do not need any extra space for foot traffic and weeding.
Do not build your raised garden bed with wood treated with dangerous substances like creosote. Creosote is used to treat railroad ties to reduce the growth of weeds around train tracks.
