Raised garden beds are an excellent way to organize your garden! They help keep your bed weed free and can keep predators, such as rabbits, out of your garden. They also allow for much easier access since their height alleviates the need to bend over. Most beneficial of all, they’re fairly easy to make!
Preparation
There are several ways to prepare your area.
You can till the Earth and use a weed-barrier cloth on the area you want to place the beds. This will kill the grass and weeds underneath.
Another way to prepare the ground is a method called Lasagna gardening. This is an easier way to prepare a new garden in a way that will leave the eco-system below undisturbed. Lasagna gardening is an organic layering method that will set up your garden bed for success, starting with the soil underneath.
To create a solid base, lay down a thick layer of cardboard and thoroughly soak. You can add other layers of material on top, such as shredding leaves, weed-free grass clippings, coffee ground, composted material, animal manure, and soil. Use what you have available to you and remember to soak the finished layers. Once it is laid out, you can add the topsoil.
How to Make a Raised Bed
Supplies
• Standard bed sizes are 8L x 4W x 1H or 4L x 4W x 1H
• 4 two-by-fours for corner support
• Lumber
• Tape Measure
• Circular saw (If pre-measured lumber is unavailable)
• Drill
• 3.5” Construction Screws
Steps
- Place the boards on the desired space to make a square or rectangle and pack the dirt around tightly.
- Bury the two-by-fours 2 inches deep in each inside corner
- Drill the corners into the two-by-fours to connect the corners of the raised bed.
- Once the frame is secure, fill the bed with topsoil and BioLife compost.
- Water thoroughly and you are ready for planting!
Tips:
– Add PlantRight Compost to your beds every Spring and again in the Fall.
– For vining plants, you can add a trellis to any of the ends!
Fill by calculating the amount of soil needing using this formula: Volume (Cubic Feet)= Length x Width x Height (Feet) This will tell you how much cubic feet of organic material is needed to fill the size of your beds.
Not able to build your own? Shop our store for raised bed kits. You can also upcycle large troughs or bins for your raised beds!