Bracing a Raised Bed

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-810 -- More Projects »
Master gardener Paul James reveals a simple way to create your own customized raised garden beds--using two revolutionary gadgets that make building beds a breeze.
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Figure A
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Figure B
"I'm a huge fan of raised beds, and over the years, I've constructed a good many of them using a variety of materials, including railroad ties, cinderblocks, stones (figure A) and wood (figure B)," Paul says. Some of his beds have been as small as four square feet, while others have encompassed gardens as large as 1,000 square feet.

Raised beds are great for just about anything from vegetables to ornamentals. And for folks who live in areas where the native soil is hard packed or so full of rocks that it's tough to grow anything, raised beds are perhaps the only way to go.

"Of all the possible materials available for building raised beds, I think wood is arguably the best," says Paul. "It's readily available, reasonably priced and fairly easy to work with, even if you have only minor carpentry skills like me." He recommends choosing rot-resistant woods like cedar or redwood because they can last a decade even when in contact with the ground.

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Figure C
To construct a basic raised bed from wood, start with three boards of equal length. Paul uses boards measuring eight feet long and at least six inches wide. Cut one board in half and fasten each half to the opposite ends of the two long boards using galvanized screws or nails (figure C).

A bed like this will probably serve you well for a while, but over time a few things will likely happen. The corners may begin to pull apart no matter how well they're fastened together, and worse yet, the longer side boards (especially if they're longer than eight feet) will begin to warp and bow out. You can create stronger corners by attaching the boards to square posts. And if the sides of the beds are only four feet or so, they probably won't warp. While they're certainly attractive and functional, Paul is not a huge fan of corner posts, however. They take up space in the bed and make it more difficult to work in and around the corners with garden tools.

Also in this Episode
Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-810
•Bracing a Raised Bed
•A Peaceful Streambed
•Curbside Gardens
•Pablo's Chair