Straw Bale Above Ground Garden Beds
There are two ways to create raised beds with straw bales. The one above uses straw bales as a border. The method below uses straw bales as vessel and growing medium to grow a productive raised bed vegetable garden.
The pioneer of this method, Joel Karsten, wrote an excellent book Straw Bale Gardens Complete , which gives all the details on straw bale gardening.
Below is a video on how it works.
If you have been thinking about starting a garden, I think a raised bed garden is a great way to go!
For Those With Compacted Or Bad Soil
In soils that are damaged by compaction or have other problems, digging below the ground is often necessary but it only needs to be done once. This is most important for deep-rooted crops such as carrots, which do better in soil that has been loosened and amended down to 10 to 12 inches to allow the air and water to get to the plants roots.
Neatly made beds ready for planting!
Why Build Raised Garden Boxes
In our backyard, we wanted a space that was specifically for growing vegetables and herbs. We also knew that the looser dirt in a raised garden bed is supposed to help your plants thrive.
In the past our garden has been on the side of the house. It was really hard to maintain and take care. We thought by adding planter boxes to our backyard then we would be able to work on taking care of our garden, while our kids were playing.
These raised garden beds or boxes also will make it easier on our backs this year. This is a huge plus
And hopefully that means my husband may actually weed and help take care of things.
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read full privacy policy here. *
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Line The Bottom With Hardware Cloth
Next, we are going to line the inside bottom of the raised bed frame with hardware cloth wire fencing material. The hardware cloth serves as a sturdy and durable bottom for the bed, which landscape fabric will lay on top of next. Without hardware cloth, landscape fabric alone would easily rip under the weight of the soil. It would also be easy to accidentally tear the fabric open on rough ground, such as when youre setting the bed in place or if you ever move it.
For this step, I highly suggest using hardware cloth over something like chicken wire. Galvanized hardware cloth wont rust, is extremely strong and long-lasting. In contrast, chicken wire sags, rusts, and breaks down over time. The gauge and hole size of the hardware cloth doesnt matter all that much. We used this 2-foot wide 1/2 opening hardware cloth, though wider rolls are available too.
Truth be told, we put hardware cloth under all of our garden beds, including those in the soil. Gophers are a real problem here, and it stops them from getting in the beds and eating everything! It is also the material we use for predator-proofing our chicken coop and run.
The Herb Wheel Planter
This wheel garden planter spans 32 inches wide, but the space available for planting is much less than what you get from a typical square garden bed. On the other hand, it looks anything but typical and can make for a lovely addition to your backyard.
If you fancy trying this DIY idea, know that you will need more than a dozen different tools and materials from saws of different sizes, nail gun, sander, to kreg jigs and more. But worry not! This guide comes with easy-to-follow directions and illustrations.
| Materials |
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Assemble Tools And Materials
Our list of tools is as follows:
cordless drill/driverwoodworking clamps
Our cut list and materials:
6 1-inch x 6-inch x 6-foot Humboldt redwood fence boards from our local lumber yard. Also available at most Home Depots. These boards will serve as the sides and ends of our planter box.
2 2-inch x 2-inch Humbolt redwood lumber. This will be the legs and also connect the sides and ends to each other, as well as support the bottom hardware cloth.
1/2-inch hardware cloth to support the soil and allow drainage.
landscape cloth to provide drainage and prevent soil from seeping out of the planter box.
1 1/4 corrosive resistant outdoor screws. Avoid black or silver screws as they will be highly visible against the redwood.
Repeat The Process On The Other Board
Measure, then predrill the four holes on your other 2 long 1×8 board. You can use the structure as a sort of saw horse, if youd like. Just take care not to drill into any wood thats already in use or attached.
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Repeat the process, on this second 2 board, of attaching just the top two hex screws. This stabilizes the structure, making it much easier to install all the bottom hex screws onto a solid structure with the boards accurately in place.
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Predrill the posts for the bottom holes on your 2 boards, then install the bottom four hex screws .
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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.
Check Customer Ratings And Read Through A Few Of Them Before Deciding On A Purchase
The old phrase “you get what you pay for” couldn’t be more accurate. With so many different products available, it can be hard to know which ones are worth spending our money on. But with a bit of research and some customer reviews at your fingertips, you can make an informed decision about whether or not the product is right for you.
To help with this process, we will now show you how to find customer ratings of any item online in 3 easy steps!
First things first, type the name of the item into the Search bar and hit enter. In most cases, there should be a list of top-ranked results that pop up as potential matches from major retailers like Walmart or Target.
As a consumer, you are faced with many choices when selecting the best way to build raised garden beds under $500. One of the most crucial decisions is whether or not to purchase something based on customer reviews.
For example, if someone says that they love their best way to build raised garden beds in 2018 because it has all the features they wanted and was less expensive than other best products in its class, you might want to consider getting one for yourself!
The Cutlery and Knife Accessories in the kitchen are always a significant pain for chefs to find. The knives are on one side of the store, while the forks, spoons, etc., are on another! Learn more.
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+ How To Build A Raised Bed Garden Box With Legs
It is made from 5/4 cedar decking boar. Now use the 1/4 inch screen to cover the bottom of the box by screwing the screen to the lower sides of the box. Vegetable or flower garden gardens are known to require a lot of work.
Lay Out The Perimeter
If the bed has straight lines, use stakes and string to outline the perimeter. Garden hose or rope works well for outlining curved beds. Most vegetable beds are square or rectangular so that vegetables can be planted in rows. Many ornamental beds are curved. To make maintenance easier, particularly mowing, design the bed with long, flowing curves rather than many tight ones.
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Plant Your Herbs And Vegetables
Now comes the fun part. Its time to plant your herbs and vegetables. We kept the herbs on one side and veggies on the other. Some of the veggies need more space, so plan accordingly.
Make sure to lightly water your garden daily for about a week, just enough that the soil never dries out. The first month is vital to the long-term health of your plants.
Our son has immediately taken ownership of our new garden and in addition to helping us build it he joined us at a nursery to select the seedlings and he planted them himself.
Hes in charge of watering and tending to the garden , and were excited to enjoy the rosemary, thyme, sage as seasonings in future meals. Hes most curious about the strawberries and cucumbers he planted, so now hes also learning a lesson in patience.
This post is sponsored by Humboldt Redwood. All opinions are 100% those of Timothy Dahl of Charles & Hudson.
Controls Weeds And Keep Out Critters
Raised garden boxes are known to deter rabbits, which will handily nibble in-ground crops growing at eye level. They also make it easy to install copper slug fencing and other deterrents around the perimeter. Raising your beds also means moving crops away from dogs that may otherwise urinate on your garden. If you have weed problems, you can install a weed barrier beneath your beds soil at installation time to ensure invasive weeds or tree roots dont invade the bed.
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Diy Miniature Raised Beds For Your Balcony Or Patio
SO this is top secret information, BUT, it looks like well be buying our first home very very very soon. Weve fallen in love with the place and everything is lined up and now we just need to close the sale, which is scheduled for very soon! I dont want to share much more until it happens and is official, but yes were super pumped.
The home were looking at has a nice little backyard space and were definitely thinking well be doing a raised bed vegetable garden. We love the look of them, and we love the idea of being able to do some backyard farm to table action. Pulling fresh zucchini and tomatoes and eggplants right off the vine for dinner? Dear god yes please, that will mentally teleport me to Tuscany. But were not moving in quite yet, so lets slow down a bit.
As kind of our last hurrah as renters, we thought wed take this future garden project of ours and make it renter friendly for us to enjoy over the next few weeks and for you to enjoy if youre also a renter and/or have limited outdoor space. We know a lot of folks loved our balcony makeover and it seems like there are a lot of fellow small outdoor space friends out there, so maybe youll find use for this DIY, too.
Everything you need is listed below along with a step-by-step for you!
NEED
Wooden crates for a full DIY experience you could probably construct these yourself pretty easily.
Burlap
Plants
METHOD
Measure out burlap and cut it so that it will line the inside of the crate.
Cut off any excess.
Fasten The Frame With Rebar
Using a sledgehammer, drive a length of rebar through the pilot holes in the timbers and at least 1 foot into the ground. Check the frame for level and square as you proceed.
Hammer each rebar flush with the top surface of the four timbers, being careful not to hit the frame so hard that you knock it out of level.
Tip: To cut rebar to length, saw halfway through with a hacksaw, then bend to break.
Step 6
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Tiered Raised Garden Bed Using Cedar Fences
A big thanks to cedar wood fences and 2x4s for this adorable tiered raised garden bed. It comes on a waist height and will help you in amazing weed control. From veggies to herbs, these tiered beds will rock to grow everything. The wooden lattice back creates a divine appeal of it. You need lumber, corner plates, wide corner braces, landscape fabric, and Kreg jig to build it. anikasdiylife
Just check out all the DIY projects sharing the step-by-step instructions, visual guides, and free video tutorials about how to build these raised garden beds that will not be accessible for the pests.
How Did We Improve On The Original Diy Planter Box Design
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Rasied Planter Box With Trellis
Self-taught carpenter Jen Woodhouse made raised planter boxes backed by a trellis. Aesthetically, the design blends in with the size and shape of her home’s windows, coming close to the same measurements and giving her home’s exterior added symmetry. Vining plants and vegetables appreciate the support too!
Tiered Planting Box For Strawberries And More
The materials list and step-by-step instructions for this tiered planter from Hydrangea Treehouse make it clear: $30, an afternoon, and some basic woodshop skills can get you a raised planter box with levelsperfect for growing strawberries or just about anything that can grow in 5 inches of soil. The entire planter measures 34.5 inches wide and 23 inches tall. Each of the three planter boxes is 30 inches wide by 7 inches deep by 5.5 inches high.
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Concrete Block Raised Beds
Concrete block are great building materials for DIY raised beds. You can make lots of creative designs with them. The first one is by VermiBag on YouTube, see video tutorial below.
You can add caps to make your cinder block raised beds more attractive, and double function as a seating bench.
Concrete blocks filled with soil make a sturdy border and additional planting pockets. The key is to take the time and prepare the ground to be level.
Love these U-shape cinder block garden bed designs!
Diy Elevated Planter Box
Take your gardening to the next level using this elevated planter box. It will make a gorgeous handmade gift also to a garden lover. Get busy with nine fence boards, and one 2x4s to build this elevated planter box will rock for planting herbs, flowers, and vegetables. You will love this elevated planter box for sure. Details here
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How To Build A Raised Bed Garden Box With Legs
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