DIY Raised Garden Beds
These DIY Raised Garden Beds are so quick and easy to make! Since the first nice(ish) day in February our family has been working to create a dream garden space! Most of the work has been disassembling, raking, and scrubbing! But this past week we finally started to assemble and put things back into the space rather than pull them out! We started by building out raised garden beds to fit into our space. We built four 4ft. x 8ft beds and two 4ft. by 4ft. beds.
Step One: Decided on Sizing & Material
For me I wanted to keep my sizing simple, and ensure I could buy lumber so that my side were one solid piece. You can purchase most fencing lumber in 6 ft. or 8 ft. lengths, for that reason I planned for my larger beds to be 4 ft. x 8 ft. and my smaller beds to be 4 ft. by 4 ft.
For the 4ft. x 8 ft. box, you will need nine 5 1/2 in. x 8 ft. boards, two 3 1/2 in. x 6 ft. boards, and one 2 in. x 2 in. x 8 ft. board.
For the 4 ft. x 4 ft. box, you will need six 5 1/2 in. x 8 ft. boards, two 3 1/2 in. x 6 ft. boards, and one 2 in. x 2 in. x 8 ft. board.
Step Two: Cut Boards to Size
I made all my cuts on my miter saw.
To make the 4 ft. x 8 ft. box (list below makes one raised planter box):
- Cut three 5 1/2 in. x 8 ft. boards in half; to get six 4 ft. long boards.
- Cut one 2 in. x 2 in. x 8 ft. into six 16 in. pieces
- Cut two 3 1/2 in. x 6 ft. boards into eight 16 1/2 in. pieces.
To make the 4 ft. x 4 ft. box (list below makes one box):
- Cut six 5 1/2 in. x 8 ft. boards in half; to get 12 4 ft. long boards.
- Cut four 16 in. pieces from one 2 in. x 2 in. x 8 ft. board.
- Cut two 3 1/2 in. x 6 ft. boards into eight 16 1/2 in. pieces.
Step Three (a): Build the Box Base
To build the box, we started by creating a base. We worked one corner at a time attaching the 5 1/2″ boards to the bottom of the 16 in. 2″ x 2″ board; with two screws in each corner of each board.
At this point, we only added the 2″ x 2″ supports in the corners.
Step Three (b): Attach Remaining Side Boards
With the base set, we then worked in a circular pattern to add the remaining side boards. Placing all the second boards before moving up to the third board.
Generally, fencing boards are rarely perfectly straight. Working one row at a time we were able to push the boards down to minimize any gaps between boards as much a possible.
Step Three (c): Attach Additional Support
With the sizes fully attached at all corners, we then add our additional supports at the center of the 8 ft. sides. Measure to the center, 48 in. and then place the 2″ x 2″ on center. Start by attaching on the bottom side board and then press down on the top side board and attach the top board. Lastly, screw through the center side board into the 2″ x 2″ support.
Unlike the corners where we used 2 screws in each board, for the center supports we only placed one screw into each of these boards.
Step Four: Attach Corner Trim (Optional)
This step is definitely optional and only for ascetics! If you use the same boards we did, the tops of the 8 foot boards are dog eared (corners are cut off). I personally wanted to cover this up! So I decided to use 3 1/2″ width fencing boards cut to 16 1/2″ height to create a trimmed corner.
I attached the corner trim with the same screws we used to build the garden boxes and just placed a screw in the top and bottom of each board (for a total of two screws in each board)
Step Five: FILL & PLANT!
I have not yet completed this step but I am very excited to get these boxes filled and then start planting and growing some of our own produce!
There are just a few more steps to complete our garden space before we start planting!
Be sure to follow us on Instagram as I will be sharing every step of our garden makeover in stories! Now time to start growing!
Love these DIY Garden Beds? Check out all of our How-to’s here!
Cost Breakdown
DIY Raised Garden Beds Links
DIY Raised Garden Bed
Equipment
- Miter Saw
- Drill
- Measuring Tape
materials
- 6 or 9 5/8" x 5 1/2" x 8' Fence Picket 6 for a 4' x 4' box; and 9 for a 4' x 8'
- 1 2" x 2" x 8' Pressure Treated Board
- 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 6' Fence Picket
Instructions
- Decide on size & materials.
- Cut boards to size.
- Build the box base.
- Screw the remaining side boards.
- Screw on additional middle support.
- Screw on corner trim.
- Fill & Plant!