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 bed vegetable gardens can be compact and productive.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
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!
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.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Raised Bed - 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.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Raised Bed - Step 3
Lay the timbers of the second and third courses, lapping them log-cabin fashion and driving a spike into each overlap to create strong joints able to withstand outward pressures caused when you fill the bed with soil.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Raised Bed - Step 4
If the subsoil is mostly clay, drill ½-inch weep (or drainage) holes at regular intervals along the base of the bottom frame.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Raised Bed - Step 5
Line the inside bottom of the bed with permeable landscape fabric, lapping and stapling it into the joints between the top two courses of timbers. (Note: If treated lumber is used, place solid barrier fabric or plastic between the timbers and the landscape fabric, extending it at least 6 inches below the bed’s bottom timber. This barrier should keep most toxic chemicals out of your beds and the vegetables growing in them – although that’s no guarantee.)
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Fill your finished bed with a mixture of rich topsoil, humus and compost, and that’s it – you’re now ready to plant. It only takes an afternoon to build a simple raised bed of wood timbers like this, but the results will bring you season after season of delicious, healthy harvest!
