How To Build A Raised Garden Bed For Patio

Line With Landscape Fabric

Protect against pests by lining the bottom of the bed with weed block, builder’s paper or landscape fabric.

This barrier between the soil in the bed and the soil in your yard helps keep weeds and grass from growing in the bed from below. At the same time, it is porous and will allow water to pass through for proper drainage.

Keep the weed barrier in place with landscape fabric pegs fastened around the interior edge of the raised garden bed.

Tips For Working With Sleepers

Screwing down sleepers with concrete screws is simple, but there are some things to keep in mind:

• Screws should penetrate the concrete by at least 1 in., so 3-1/4-in. screws are perfect. In low spots, where we had to stack up shims, we switched to 3-3/4- in. screws.
• As you drill, dust compresses around the drill bit. That slows you down, strains your drill and overheats the bit. To clear the dust, pull the bit completely out of the hole once or twice while drilling each hole.
• Drill the holes 1/4 to 1/2 in. deeper than the screw will reach. Extra-depth provides a space for dust and grit, so screws are easier to drive.
• Have extra drill bits on hand. As a bit wears, it doesnt just drill more slowly it also bores a slightly smaller hole and screws become harder to drive. We replaced each bit after about 40 holes. When all the sleepers are screwed down, take a few minutes to double-check for flatness. Set a 4-ft. straightedge on each sleeper, both across it and along it. If you find spots that are 1/16 in. or more out-of-plane, back out the screw and add or remove shims.

Landscaping Timbers Garden Beds

So have I ever mentioned that I have a thing for landscaping timbers? Well, I do. They are usually inexpensive and have a way of adding organization and simple beauty to an area that was once chaotic and well, unattractive.

Why should the results for your garden beds be any different? You stack these beauties together and once again, you have an organized space for whatever vegetable or flower you wish to grow in that area.

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How Deep Should A Raised Bed Be

Usually, lumber will come in a standard size thats 6 inches in height. In other words, the sizing is 2 inches x 6 inches x 8-feet.

You could also stack the two boards. The height of two stacked 2 x 6 boards is 12 inches .

You can certainly go taller , but note that the weight of the added soil will add pressure to the sides. Youll need to add cross-supports to any bed over 12 inches high.

Consider what you may grow. The depth of the soil itself is very important and depends on how much soil depth the crop needs belowground. For example:

• Deep-rooted crops such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes, tomatoes, and squash need a minimum soil depth of 12 to 18 inches. If plants dont have loose soil to this depth, the roots will not be able to go down deep enough to access nutrients.

• Shallow-rooted crops need a minimum soil depth of 6 inches.

To place it safe, you could just ensure your beds have a depth of 12 to 18 inches. Whatever height you choose for your frame, youll need to loosen the soil below the ground accordingly. For example, if you have a bed thats 6 inches high, we recommend loosening the soil below the ground about 6 to 9 more inches if you wish to grow root vegetables. If you are only growing shallow-rooted crops, theres no need.

Think About Companion Gardening When Deciding What To Plant In Your Raised Boxes

You may want to check out this article about companion planting from the Farmers Almanac and how to choose what to plant next to each other in your garden boxes.

Or check out this post from DIYDanielle about easy plants to growoutside. If our vegetables dont do well this year, I may need to revisit this list next year!

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Gardening On Concrete With Raised Beds And Patio Containers

• Yard & Garden

With more than one in three American households now participating in food gardening, the promise of fresh, local produce is closer than ever before. But not everyone taking part in this gardening revolution has an acre of arable soil tucked away in their backyard. In fact, many people driving up this statistic dont even have a backyard. So how do they do it?

With outdoor space at a premium, urban and small-space gardeners have embraced portable and often temporary garden designs to make the most of the space they have available. Whether confined to a balcony, patio, or other paved area, these gardens are sprouting up everywhere using two mainstays of the urban farming movement: raised beds and patio planters or containers.

• Useful Soil Mixes for Planters and Raised Beds

Plan Your Raised Garden Bed

Start by marking the planter outline on the ground, using a rope or garden hose. Dry-stacked walls like this are limited to 3 ft. in height or they could tip over. Call to have underground utilities marked in your yard before you dig and before you have materials delivered, in case you have to move your wall location. The North American One-Call Referral System number is 811.

Once you determine the shape and size of the structure, you can order the materials. Take your dimensions with you to the stone supplier, who can help determine the quantities of stone, pea gravel, landscape fabric and topsoil youll need. Order 10 percent extra stone so you have plenty to choose from. You can always use leftovers for borders around gardens.

Browse suppliers to find a stone you like . Costs vary a lot among stone types. We used a stone called weathered Chilton. We needed three tons of the stone, a yard of pea gravel and three yards of topsoil. You can use a different stone, as long as its relatively flat on the top and bottom. The more flat-surfaced and square the stones are, the easier they are to stack. The techniques we show wont work for rounded fieldstone. You can buy capstone, which is a special stone for the top course, or use the same stone as for the rest of the planter.

Raised Bed Details

Family Handyman

Build the wall on a gravel base for stability and drainage, and cover the back with landscape fabric and more gravel before filling in with soil.

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Raised Garden Bed Plans

These free plans will show you how to construct araised garden bed that is an ideal size and shape for those living in an apartment or condo. Some people dont have much outdoor space but everyone has to eat and these elevated planter boxes are just the right size.

Great for use on a deck or balcony also. These planter boxes can be used to grow vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers or a combination of all four plants. Easy to build waist high garden beds are raised up on four legs so its easy to attach casters to the bottom of the legs for easy mobility.

Raised Garden Bed Benches

Would you like to add these garden beds to your yard while also adding some extra sitting space? If so, this design is for you. Imagine sitting in your yard fully surrounded by gorgeous flowers and plants.

Not to mention when it came time to weed or harvest you could literally sit down while you work. That certainly makes for a more leisurely and enjoyable experience.

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Keep Out Rabbits & Woodchucks

Enclose your vegetable garden with a fence at least 3 feet tall and 3 feet from your beds. To stop critters from chewing through or digging under it, line it with 4-foot-wide, ½-inch galvanized hardware cloth buried 1 foot deepeven under the gate. Rig the gate to close automatically, and make sure it has no gaps wider than an inch.

Things To Think About When Preparing A Raised Bed Garden

1. What size will it be?Raised beds are generally three to four feet wide by about six to eight feet long. This allows you to easily reach into the raised bed from the side to plant and dig and weed, without having to step into the garden where you risk compacting the soil.

The height can also be important. If you are putting your raised bed on a hard surface, like a driveway, or over hard-packed soil, you want to make sure its deep enough for plants to root. If its too shallow those roots will reach down into that subsoil and hit a brick wall. I usually recommend at least 10 to 12 inches.

2. How do you pick the perfect spot?When preparing a raised bed garden, location is everything, but it doesnt have to be your backyard. Your raised bed could go in a sunny side yard, your front yard, or even your driveway.

Youll want to make modifications if you have a slope and assess whether the area drains well. Here are some tips for planning where to put your raised bed.

3. How will you get rid of grass?Good question because this is a common concern. If youve ever tried to cut out and lift sod, you know what an enormous task it is. An easier way to get rid of grass is to outline the space and cover it with a layer of cardboard and cover that with a layer of soil. The grass will break down and voilà! A new garden site. Doing this in the fall will allow everything to break down over the winter.

For more information on gardening in raised beds, check out the following articles:

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Create A Wire Basket Bottom

Using aviation snips or metal snips, cut the hardware cloth in a manner that gives you a few extra inches of slack hanging over every side of the bed. With the bed sitting right-side-up, place the hardware cloth on top of the bed. Bend up each side to follow the shape of the bed, and then press it down into the bed. Try to keep an even amount of slack on all sides. Then carefully form the hardware cloth wire bottom to fit the inside of the bed. The corners get a bit awkward. Just do your best to meld and bend the wire to be as flush as possible with the wood. Wear good poke-proof gloves! Ive also found it helpful to stand inside the bed and step on the wire to press it into place.

Why dont we just attach it to the bottom side of the bed frame, you ask? I mean, you certainly could. Yet in my experience, wire attached to the bottom edge pops loose more easily from the weight of the soil pushing down on it compared to wire attached on the inside walls of the bed. You know, physics. Also, a totally flat wire bottom doesnt create the same type of basket were aiming for, and may not drain quite as well.

Plant In Raised Garden Bed

Plant your favorite vegetables, herbs and flowering plants at the proper times for your region. Concentrate fertilizer application right around the plants and try not to compact the soil by stepping on it. Plant tall plants against a wall or on the north side of the bed.

Helpful Tip

Use a soil testing kit to determine the soil pH level of your garden beds. This will help you decide what soil amendments you may need for a more successful crop yield.

Succession planting works very well in raised beds. For example, once an early crop of lettuce is finished, pull out those plants and plant another crop such as beans. If a plant gets diseased or infested with insects, pull it out immediately and replace it with a different plant so the problem doesn’t spread.

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Genius Hacks: 3 Ways To Build A Raised Patio

Were sharing all the tips, tricks & details of building a raised patio with retaining wallalong with our raised stone patio design and cost!

Do you have a sloped area in your yard that seems unusable? Or perhaps you want to avoid a deck off the back of your house and have started envisioning your own way of building a raised patio with retaining walls?

Whatever your need, youre in the right place, my friend!

Were big believers in the power of a raised patio! Sure, a deck could be built to try to utilize a sloped area, but well take a good raised patio on a slope over a deck any day.

Would you like to take a slope where no one could previously sit , and turn that slope into seating for 10, 15, 20or more?

Then read on!

Diy Timber Raised Beds

I really like this DIY tutorial. They lay everything out for you all nice and neat. The materials list is very easy to follow and so are the steps to building this creation.

Ultimately, I like the look of these DIY garden beds. They have a rustic feel while also providing a nice touch of elegance to any yard.

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Raised Bed Garden Design Ideas

• Email

The Spruce / Autumn Wood

Raised beds can be as humble or creative as you like. A raised bed planter can be a permanent fixture for perennial plants to settle in and mature. The initial cost of getting your raised bed set up will depend on how elaborate you make it, but once in place, raised beds are no more expensive to maintain than traditional gardens. They offer a lot of benefits.

What Type Of Wood To Use

The wood to use for a raised bed is your decision. Here are some options:

• Cedar and redwood are naturally water-resistant but can be expensive and hard to find. Hemlock, fir, and pine are suitable materials for raised beds but aren’t very long-lasting.
• Pressure-treated lumber has been a controversial topic for many years. The purpose of chemical pressure treatment is to protect wood from rot, decay, and wood-ingesting insects. Creosote-treated wood is not a good option for vegetable raised beds.

Compared to untreated wood, pressure treated lumber lasts longer and is available at a comparable cost. Some types are specifically treated for ground contact. But keep in mind that even water-based treatments such as ACQ contain the fungicide and pesticide necessary to make it effective. Here are some practices that may address concerns about using it in raised beds.

• Let the wood dry before use. It can take six months or longer for treated lumber to dry.
• You can then use as-is or paint or seal it.
• Line the interior sides of the bed with sheet plastic or pond liner.
• Plant edibles nearer the center of the bed, a few inches away from the wood.

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Raised Garden Bed For Herbs

Herbs are popular and easy to grow plants in a home garden. Fresh or dried, herbs are useful in most recipes to enhance food flavor and its easy to grow herbs when you learn how to build araised garden bed.

These detailed waist high raised garden bed plans will show you how to build an attractive herb garden that will make a nice addition to your backyard deck. Side hooks hold gardening tools and the herb plants create floral beauty and fragrance, making them an ideal plant for growing on a deck or patio.

Raised Garden Bed Tips And Considerations

It is crucial that the location you select for the garden has enough sun exposure. Without the proper amount of sunlight, your plants will not thrive.

• Choose a flat, sunny spot to build your raised garden bed.
• Use a shovel to remove ground that prevents the frame from resting in a level position.
• Don’t worry about the condition of the soil in your chosen location since you will be adding your own quality soil.
• Some raised garden bed kits are stackable, so you can grow plants with long root stems. If building your own raised garden bed, add height to the walls by adding a second level of lumber when making the frame.

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Diy Raised Garden Beds

I really like these raised beds. They are absolutely gorgeous. What I love even more is that they appear to be very easy to construct. I say that because the lady who wrote this post had never built garden beds before, and she made these beds look gorgeous.

So, if you are new to building garden beds, this might be a good tutorial for you. Her list of instructions is very easy to read and so is her materials list. You might find yourself having these beds built in no time.

Build A Raised Garden Bed From Scratch Or A Kit

Both are viable options, but if youre looking for out-of-the-ordinary materials, kits ease the process.

Until fairly recently, about the only way to get a raised bed was to buy some boards, cut them to size, and screw them together yourself. Or you could hire a mason to build one for you out of brick or stone. The only limits were your imagination and budget.

But these days, you can find a growing assortment of all-inclusive raised-bed kits with precut parts that save time, eliminate guesswork, and offer a variety of looks. They may not have the one-of-a-kind uniqueness of scratch- or pro-built beds, but they come in a wide array of striking materialsincluding wood, steel, composite boards, and tumbled concrete blocksthat can add a handsome accent to any landscape.

Shown: These kit-built beds have porous, rot-proof sides made of wood chips and cement. Theyre held in place by aluminum corners coated with a tough, baked-on finish and are capped with western red cedar.

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