This isn’t a full DIY raised garden bed since I purchased the raised bed kit from Cedar Craft. Click here for the same one on Amazon.(It’s actually cheaper on Amazon, kinda kicking myself now.) If you want to put a full garden bed together from pieces of lumber, I can’t help you. I’m a tough mama but not an engineer. But if you want a quick and easy garden space that takes a Saturday to put together then here’s your guide!
You Will Need
- a raised bed kit (I got mine delivered so I wouldn’t have to transport it myself)
- a shovel
- a rake
- a hammer
- a level
- a tape measure
- a lot of determination
- bricks/rocks (opt.)
- 1 day
Preparing the ground
I first measured out the area that it would cover on the ground. Then I marked around it with my shovel. I shoveled up the entire area and then smoothed it out with a rake.
Putting together the kit
I followed the kits instruction for this part. It was relatively straight forward. The pieces simply slid into each other and since it was a square there was no need to figure out which side went where. I used a hammer to pound the plastic tops for the corners.
Making it level
This is the most complicated step unless you make sure you choose a level area to put your raised bed. Since my space was not level it added extra work.
I first made sure each side was about as deep as I wanted it. Some sides needed to be dug deeper since I wanted everything as low as the lowest point. As I got each side as deep as needed I’d put together the pieces of the bed. I did one piece at a time to make sure they were level and as deep as I needed.
I placed the level in the middle of each piece and dug until it was completely level. In some areas I had to add extra dirt to make it level. I just added and took away until the entire bed was level.
I also measured from the wall of my house to the garden bed to make sure the bed was straight. I measured from each corner and the middle of each section.
Filling it with soil
My kit came with mesh lining. I spread the lining on the soil below and filled up the raised bed with garden soil. It is important that you buy soil and don’t use soil you dug up or found elsewhere in your yard, unless you want to have a weed problem. I used a blend of garden soil and mulch.
Planting
Now the fun part! You can plant what you choose but keep in mind how deep your raised bed is. Mine is only 6″ deep so I can’t plant anything that has complicated or long root systems. Mine is perfect for peas, carrots, herbs, and lots of other plants but not corn or potatoes.
Creating a border and staining
When I finished I decided to place bricks along the edge of the entire raised bed. This is so that there will be a clear border between any grass and so that weeds don’t grow along the edge. It eliminates the need to weed wack around the garden in the future.
I also stained it at the same time. I chose a red tone because that’s what I like. Plus maybe I wanted to make people think I got redwood. I do like how it looks so it was worth the little bit of extra time.
Enjoy!
It was less physically difficult than I expected and the work has definitely outweighed the benefits. I’ll have peas and carrots soon! Next year I’ll be adding a second raised bed to my garden area so I can plant even more.
What project should I post about next? Sod, our relaxation corner, the patio, or something else?
xo
Faith