Build a raised bed

An afternoon · Easy · 7 steps

A 4 by 8 foot bed from three boards: no fancy cuts, and big enough to feed you all summer.

Cutaway of a 4 by 8 foot raised bed
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Fig. Cutaway of a 4 by 8 foot raised bed.

  1. Corner brackets hold the boards square
  2. 2×10 boards, one cut in half for the ends: three for one board high, six for two
  3. Soil mix: about 60 percent topsoil, 40 percent compost
  4. Cardboard smothers the grass
  5. Ground loosened with a garden fork

What you'll need

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You'll also need

  • Three 8-foot 2×10 boards for a bed one board high, or six for two (cedar lasts longest)
  • A drill and 2½-inch exterior screws
  • Flattened cardboard boxes, tape removed
  • About 1 cubic yard of soil: roughly 60 percent topsoil and 40 percent compost

Steps

  1. Pick a spot with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sun, close enough to a hose that watering is easy.
  2. Have one board cut in half at the store (most will do it free). That gives you two 8-foot sides and two 4-foot ends.
  3. Set the brackets at the corners, slide in the boards, and screw them in. Keep the bed no wider than 4 feet so you can reach the middle from either side.
  4. Set the frame in place and check that it's level. Dig down under the high side instead of propping up the low side.
  5. Loosen the ground inside with a garden fork, then cover it with cardboard, overlapping the edges. It smothers the grass and rots away by next year.
  6. Fill with your soil mix, a little above the top: it settles an inch or two after the first few waterings.
  7. Water it well, wait a day, and plant.

Tips

  • Buying soil in bulk is much cheaper than bags. A 4 by 8 bed 10 inches deep holds about 27 cubic feet: that's 14 or so 2-cubic-foot bags.
  • Want it deeper? Stack a second row of boards: six boards and taller corner brackets, and about twice the soil. A bed 18 inches deep suits carrots and potatoes, and means less bending.
  • Skip old railroad ties and wood of unknown history for food beds.
  • Line the bottom with hardware cloth before the cardboard if gophers or voles are a problem.

Use it in Planting Year