How To Build Inexpensive Cedar Garden Beds
I wanted to put up instructions for anyone wants to make raised beds like mine.
Decide how big your raised bed will be. The pickets are 6' long and my yard is wedge-shaped so I made the bed lengths in multiples of 3' to get the most out of the wood. In the picture below, starting with the bed closest to the camera, the measurements are 24', 21', 18', 15'. There is a 2x4 post separating each 3' section.
The pickets are attached with 1" decking screws. If your boards are dry, I recommend pre-drilling to avoid cracks. You may need to clamp the pickets together while attaching to the posts to prevent gaps.
This is the last bed I built which is 9' x 4' so I needed the following for pickets: 4@6', 4@3' (two pickets cut in half so a hair under 3' to account for saw kerf) and 4@51" for the ends. I needed 8 of the 2x4 posts. You can easily change the size of these beds to suit your space by adding or subtracting 3'sections. Decide how long your bed will be and figure out how many sections you will need.
Cut the 2x4 to roughly 17" lengths.
Mark a line down the center of the 6' picket section.
Mark a line lengthwise down the center of four of the eight 2x4 posts. Use these lines to position things correctly.
When attaching pickets, position posts so they are even with the top edge of the bed and stick down into the soil about 6".
Line up the center of the 6' pickets with the mark on a 2x4 and attach with two screws per picket.
Line up one end of the 6' pickets with the mark on a 2x4 and attach.
Decide how big your raised bed will be. The pickets are 6' long and my yard is wedge-shaped so I made the bed lengths in multiples of 3' to get the most out of the wood. In the picture below, starting with the bed closest to the camera, the measurements are 24', 21', 18', 15'. There is a 2x4 post separating each 3' section.
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| First 4 garden beds - early summer 2015 |
The pickets are attached with 1" decking screws. If your boards are dry, I recommend pre-drilling to avoid cracks. You may need to clamp the pickets together while attaching to the posts to prevent gaps.
This is the last bed I built which is 9' x 4' so I needed the following for pickets: 4@6', 4@3' (two pickets cut in half so a hair under 3' to account for saw kerf) and 4@51" for the ends. I needed 8 of the 2x4 posts. You can easily change the size of these beds to suit your space by adding or subtracting 3'sections. Decide how long your bed will be and figure out how many sections you will need.
Cut the 2x4 to roughly 17" lengths.
Mark a line down the center of the 6' picket section.
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| Pickets with mark down center |
Mark a line lengthwise down the center of four of the eight 2x4 posts. Use these lines to position things correctly.
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| 2x4 post with mark down center |
When attaching pickets, position posts so they are even with the top edge of the bed and stick down into the soil about 6".
Line up the center of the 6' pickets with the mark on a 2x4 and attach with two screws per picket.
Line up one end of the 6' pickets with the mark on a 2x4 and attach.
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| Center of picket lined up with center of 2x4 |
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| End of the pickets lined up with mark leaving other half of 2x4 exposed |
Attach the other end of the 6' pickets to an unmarked post so the pickets are even with the edge of the 2x4.
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| End of a long side is even with the edge of the post |
Attach the 3' sections to the post shared by the 6' section. Attach unmarked post to the end so edges are even. The picture below shows the completed sides with the 6' section and 3' section both attached.
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| Completed 9' side walls |
Move bed pieces into position and attach two 51" boards to the far end of the bed.
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| How to position and attach end pickets |
Dig holes for the posts. Use the remaining 51" boards to position the rest so the width is consistent for the whole bed. It is helpful to use something to hold the walls in place while you do this like the cinder blocks in the photo below.
Once you are happy with the placement of the posts, fill in the holes.
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| Long beds with far end attached |
Staple landscaping fabric to the inside of the bed.
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| Landscaping fabric to be stapled inside the bed |
One end of the bed is still open at this point. Use a wheelbarrow to fill the bed with soil. Once it is mostly full, attach 51" pickets to other end and staple the fabric to them. Finish filling the bed and trim any fabric that shows above the soil line.
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