Looking to build raised garden beds this spring? I will show you how to build a raised vegetable garden and what to fill it up with, so that you can start gardening as soon as this weekend. These easy to build beds are quick to assemble and will last for years.

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Brown Thumb to Homegrown Goodies

Growing up I was notorious for my terrible cooking and my brown thumb. I had to keep a plant alive for a class in highschool, so I immediately ran it home to my mom. She kept it alive and I got an A. It wasn’t a lack of experience. My mom and Mama both have beautiful flowers and bountiful gardens. As a kid I would help them plant, water, and pick. As a teenager, I would tend to the garden when my mom wasn’t home.

Something about doing it all by myself was different though. I started some seeds and they died. The night custodian gave me an aloe plant, which died within three months. We bought a lavender plant to put on the porch. Dead. Despite my track record, my husband agreed to build me a raised bed in the backyard. I was determined to make it work this time around, so I did what any 25 year old would do and got to Pinterest.

I measured out my bed and divided it into squares. Then I drew it out on paper labeling each box with a plant. Because I am a type A person, I also colored each box according to how many plants would go in a square foot. It looked pretty on paper, but I still hadn’t successfully grown anything yet.

My husband and I went to several stores and nurseries to get the exact number and types of plants I needed to make my paper garden come to life. After that it was up to me. I wound up with a bounty. We had more tomatoes and herbs than I knew what to do with. Success!

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Why Build a Raised Vegetable Garden

Good Soil

Here in Missouri the soil is full of rocks and has quite a bit of clay. That doesn’t make for ideal garden conditions. By using a raised bed, there are no rocks to remove and I’m filling it with the good soil and compost that my plants need.

Fewer Weeds

Because the bottom of the bed is lined and the dirt on top is so thick, the weeds have a hard time growing through. This is always a bonus in my book. Over time some weeds will develop, but in general there are fewer than a tilled garden would have.

Loose Soil

My favorite thing to plant is potatoes. Those only grow well in loose soil. A raised bed prevents kids from walking on the dirt, so that it stays loose. This will keep the potatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots very happy.

How to Build a Raised Vegetable Garden

We used eight foot long 1×10 pressure treated boards. My bed is 4 feet by 16 feet and we needed 12 boards. To build the beds you will need a drill, 3 inch nails, 4 inch nails, a tape measure, and a saw.

First cut two of the boards in half. These will be the short sides of the garden.
Next use a 3 inch screw to attach a short board to a longer board to form a corner. Repeat this step to build the opposite corner.
Now attach another longer board to the other side of the short board. Repeat this step for the other side too. When pushed together they should make the bottom layer of the raised bed. I suggest moving them into place before they get any heavier.
Then it is time to add the second layer. You will attach a short board to two long boards making sure they are stacked up and lined up with the bottom layer. Then you will do the other side.
Next it’s time to attach the two halves of the garden. Measure the height of the bed, should be about 20 inches, and cut 6 boards to that length or slightly shorter. We made them slightly shorter and it worked just fine. The main thing is to make it long enough to span half of both boards.
Then lay the small board on the inside of where the garden halves meet. Use four 3 inch screws to attach the board. Repeat this on the other side, so that both halves of the garden are connected. Use the other small boards and four 3 inch screws to brace the insides of the corners.
In order to prevent the boards from bowing out over time, we connected the long sides of the garden together. Measure the space between the brace boards in the middle of the garden. Cut two boards of that length. It will be roughly 46 inches. Using 4 inch screws attached one at the bottom and one at the top of the bed. This will hold things in place and make a great spot to put a harvesting bucket, gloves, and tools. Now it’s time to fill it up!

How to Fill a Raised Vegetable Garden

Before filling the garden bed, I recommend laying down chicken wire and a weed barrier. This will keep rabbits and moles from digging into the bed and help keep the weeds out. I rolled the wire out the length of the bed. We used 24” wire, so it needed two rows. My husband stapled the wire to the boards. Then I rolled out the weed barrier while he stapled that to the boards. Weed barriers are not someplace that it pays to go cheap. Buy the best you can afford and thank me later.

Then the bed is ready for soil. We made a soil lasagna instead of mixing it before dumping it in. It saved us a step and worked just fine. We put in a layer of topsoil, then a layer of peat moss. This repeated until we got about a third of the way up the top board. It took 6 big bags of peat moss. Then we put a layer of compost on top followed by a layer of peat humus. We didn’t fill it to the top because this leaves room for more compost next year.

Now grab your FREE Garden Planner and start digging!