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Building Jan's Raised Bed
Garden
Step by Step description of their construction
First Out Door Project Completed |
| Gardening in raised beds had lots of advantages. It certainly contains the garden; improves its appearance; and makes accessibility easier. I liked the idea of having pathway and place to sit while tending to the crops. I've gardened in raised beds for years and prefer this method.
I want to produce enough veggies for consumption and also for canning, freezing
and/or preserving. In 2011 my attempt at
growing veggies was a dismal failure - we arrived too late to start a garden and
it was blazing hot all summer. I sowed seeds anyway in the area gardened by the previous owner. Most seeds
didn't come up; the tomatoes plants didn't produce; my only harvest was one
(excellent tasting) kohlrabi.
My goal for 2012 was to get the raised beds done
and have "seeds in the ground" by the end of March.
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| Tucked and rolled the edges of the black landscape fabric. It
was laid N/S. Then laid a second layer of woven (brown) landscape fabric
on top E/W. Hopefully this extra effort will keep out the Bermuda grass. |
Constructed the first row of 2"x8"x8' cedar lumber using clamps to securely hold
the planks in place. In row two the butt joints were alternated (see pic above
right)
Each layer was clamped in place. |
Laminated template
used to drill holes for the lag screws. |
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Finished Raised Bed
Material List:
6 cedar - 8' 2"x8"
4 each - 8' & 4' lengths
1 cedar - 8' 4"x4" cut into 4 24" lengths for legs/footing
32 - 4" lag screws
32 - washers
Finished box measured 8' long; 4' wide; 16"
height.
the exposed 8" footings were buried.
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We
converted the first bed into a work table by placing a 4'x8' plywood sheet on
top.
That made construction much easier. We started erecting the beagle fence
too. |
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Progress is being made - By the end
of December 2011
the first 3 boxes in place and 4 more were completed. |
13 completed frames (picture taken
2/22/2012).
Placed first row of 3 are E/W. The remaining beds, 5 in row, are N/S. By the
end of March 2012, all 20 were completed & planted.
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Old beds after all
the soil was removed,
sifted, and added to the new raised beds. |
Hubby sifting dirt
to remove rocks &
grass roots
from old beds. |
For the Record:
Each bed was filled with 2 parts soil,
2 parts compost & 1 bag (1.3 cu ft) of
Nature Life. Cotton Burr Compost |
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How did I determine how much garden soil will I need? Basic
math comes to play here. First I have to determine the total volume of each bed.
4' (Width) x 8' (Length) x 1' (Depth) = 32 Cubic Feet. For the record, 27
cubic feet = 1 cubic yard.
Because I am building 18" deep beds, I will put
landscape fabric in the bottom of the boxes. I am trying my best to prevent
Bermuda grass from growing up in the raised beds. |
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Gravel Pathways complete the Raised Beds project >>>
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