Raised beds are what’s hot right now in gardening. Who wants to bend over and toil? Elevated garden beds make for easy planting and maintenance for the long haul. And they’re fun. We love raised beds for several reasons. First, our clay soil is just not suitable for most plants. With our raised beds, purchased soil supplemented with organic compost is spot-on for our vegetables and plants. Secondly, our three raised beds lend an attractive element to our suburban block. They are unique! So we hope you enjoy this garden raised bed from Denny and Cheri Larimer of Apple Valley, Minnesota. Do you think I can convince Tom to build me yet another raised bed? Mother’s Day approaches! Here’s how Denny and Cheri built a 4′ x 4′ raised bed with four separate 2′ x 2′ planting areas and three varying heights. Just wait to you see the finished project.
What You Need:
For this project 58 feet of wood was used. Denny and Cheri ended up purchasing 64 feet so they had 6 feet left over.
- They bought (eight) 2 x 6 x 8 treated lumber from Home Depot which came out to $45
- Cut the (eight) pieces into (eleven) 4 foot lengths and (seven) 2 foot lengths
- The first two layers comprised of (8) 4′ lengths = 32 feet when combined. This is the first planting height.
- The third layer is comprised of (3) 4′ lengths = 12′ and (3) 2′ lengths = 6′ for a grand total of 18′
- The fourth layer is 6 feet and is a 2′ x 2′ x 2′ planting box
- Notch ends so the corners interlock
- Drill together with 3 1/2″ deck screws
- See how nicely the corners interlock? We suspect this raised bed will stand the test of time!
This raised garden bed has such a innovative and trendy look to it. We’d love to boast one in our yard! It’s nice that it has four very separate compartments for planting pleasure. Just think: herbs in one, tomatoes in another, eggplant and peppers in the third, and peas and beans in the last. Mix flowers in all for a colorful pop. The varying heights is especially nice so that you can separate plants that might give too much shade to the other plants in the compartments. This is strategic planting at its best!
Last year, Denny and Cheri planted several Sweet 100 cherry tomato plants (my favorite too!); a couple of pea plants; one squash and one cucumber plant. You can see the dead vines of the cuke trailing in the picture below! Her tomato plants got so big that she had to cut them back to allow sun to get to the other plants. This year she’s planning on fewer tomatoes, adding onions, potatoes and peas. Sounds like a good plan to me.
What’s so special about raised beds?
Organic farmers, who place a high value on soil tilth or friability and the life of the soil typically employ raised bed methods alongside wide row planting. In general, elevated gardens:
- Prevents soil compaction
- No strenuous digging in heavy soil
- Less bending over
- You control the soil quality as soil is more easily replaced (This is especially true of pots and container gardening…another huge trend!)
- Easier planting, weeding, harvesting
- Efficient, intensive use of soil and added nutrients such as compost
Do you have an elevated or raised bed garden? Big or small.
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