by Rhui Chatar

Created on: July 21, 2009   Last Updated: July 23, 2009

Raised garden beds can work to benefit both the garden and the gardener in a variety of ways. They can be applied to both small or large gardens, making the gardener's tasks not only easier, but more efficient.

By planting in raised beds soil quality can be controlled and adjusted more easily. Ground temperature, a vital condition to effective growth, is raised earlier in more northerly climates lengthening the growing season in some case by as much as several weeks. Conversely, at the end of the season, raised beds provide an ideal situation for protecting plants from early frost by means of cloches in a number of varieties.

To get started making raised beds quickly, use materials readily available or easily afforded depending on location. In the northeast, local 'green' lumber is inexpensive and easy to get.

For one 2'x10' bed 10" deep you'll need the following:
2 2"x10" spruce boards 12' long
(Do NOT use pressure treated lumber. It's treated so the bugs won't eat it, you shouldn't want to eat food grown in it either!)
1 2"x4" 8' long (green or rough grade will work fine as straightness isn't needed here)
1 box of 3" decking screws
12 asphalt shingles and some roofing nails, about 3 or 4 per shingle

First, cut the 12' boards to 10' and use the 2'pieces for the ends of the box that will become your bed frame.
Next, cut the 2x4 into 4 2' pieces. These will form the corners and give you something to screw into to hold the frame together.
Place 3 screws evenly spaced on both sides of each corner leaving the extra 2x4 length sticking up at the corner. These come in handy later for the cloches and protect the plants in the bed when dragging your hose around them for watering.

Now for the shingles. To protect the wood from the soil, and bugs that like wood, line the bed with the asphalt singles roof side out. Fold the shingle excess over the edge of the 2x10 and tack it with a roofing nail. This will help the wood to last longer on the ground and protect it from the wet soil inside.

That completes one raised bed. Next find the best place to put your new raised bed. You will want as much sun exposure as possible. If using more than one bed you may want to orient them on a north/south access keeping the taller plants at the northern end to reduce shading of the shorter plants.

Fill your bed with the best soil you can find and amend it to the proper PH level that your plants will require. Compost is king here. Don't be afraid to ask around. Most gardeners have a private supply, but if you express your understanding of how precious it is when starting out, they will often part with some to help a fellow 'plant person'.

Now all you need is a seed catalog to browse while waiting for planting time to roll around! Enjoy your new raised bed garden.

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