The Great Garden Frame-Up

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Robert Dolezal

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Raised bed vegetable gardens can be compact and productive.

Using framed, raised beds and terraces to create level planting areas is a practice that dates back to antiquity. In sites where conditions are less than ideal, raised beds allow you to concentrate nutrient-rich soil to increase the yield of the garden. They also make taking care of plants easier by raising them above the ground, so you can avoid stooping and bending as you cultivate, fertilize and harvest. On hillside slopes, terraces perform much the same function as raised beds, providing level planting locations filled with rich soil that’s held in place with retaining walls.

Raised beds are easy to build using landscape timbers. With simple woodworking skills and common tools, you can achieve a good-looking, functional bed in just a few hours.

Before you begin construction, remove all existing turf and any weeds at the site where you’d like your raised bed to go. Trench along the outside perimeter, then gather your tools, 4x4 timbers, 6-inch spikes, woven landscape fabric and waterproof sealant – and let’s build your raised bed!

Step 1: Divide 360 degrees by the number of sides in your bed to calculate the end angles of your timbers – typically 90 degrees for four sides, 60 degrees for six sides or 45 degrees for beds with eight sides. (Note: Avoid using treated lumber for your raised beds.) Cut the timbers to fit. Paint the ends of each timber with clear sealant to waterproof its end-grain cuts.

Step 2: Lay a first course (or frame) of timbers in the trench, using a carpenter’s level to align them evenly. Add or remove soil until your frame is level and all joints are snug and match evenly.

Warnings

Never use pressure-treated wood for raised beds intended for food-producing plants! Pressure-treated lumber can leach chemicals – including arsenic – into your garden soil. Visit the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Website for more information on the EPA’s official take on this issue.
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Tips

When digging up the area for your raised bed, remove all existing turf and weeds right down to their roots to prevent them from growing in the bed or blocking the flow of water through the bed’s base.
The width of your bed should be narrow enough to allow easy access to the plants growing inside; for most beds, doubling the length of your arm is usually the right choice. Raised boxes can be as long as you’d like. Many are built 20 inches high, providing a natural seat for when you weed your garden. (Lining the inside with permeable landscape fabric can help keep maintenance to a minimum.)

Resources

We’d love to see how your raised beds turned out. Post pictures, along with an update of your bountiful harvest, in our Learn2Grow forums.
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