Build a Timber Raised Bed

When to Start: fall, late winter or early spring
At Its Best: summer
Time to Complete: 1 day

Materials Needed:

• shovel
• heavy-duty gloves
• 8 pieces of lumber cut to size required (lumber used here are: 2x8s and 2x4s)
• builder's level
• tape measure

• rubber mallet
• screwdriver
• long heavy-duty coach screws
• topsoil or soil-based compost

Dig Out Strips of Turf

Mark out lines on the ground where the lumber will rest, then use a sharp shovel to cut out the outline of your bed, all the way around. If positioning the bed on an area of lawn, ease the spade between sod and soil, and lift off the grass, which you can then use elsewhere in the garden.

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Lay Lumber in Position

Set the first layer of lumber in position. Remove or add soil until they're level. Check the levels along and diagonally across the lumber. For a perfect square or rectangle, have the lumber pre-cut at a timber yard.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited

Secure Base Timbers

Use a rubber mallet to adjust the position of the wood pieces so they butt up and align neatly at the corners. Drill two holes on one side of each corner, and secure the joint using long, heavy-duty coach screws. Check that all pieces are firmly joined together.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited