Backyard Raised Bed

Five years ago, I was determined to start a backyard vegetable garden. It was really small because the boys were so young I knew I could barely manage the three boxes I had built.  I strategically placed them close to our house thinking that would be enough to deter the deer.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that the deer were winning, and my vegetable garden succumbed to the deer and later the bunnies.

The following year I decided I was all in.  I relocated the boxes, expanded the garden, and ran a deer fence.  It worked for most of the summer, until a bunny figured out how to get underneath of the fence, and then it wasn’t too long after that I came home to Bambi in my garden.

I was back the drawing board again.  I wanted to keep the garden, but I didn’t want to compete with the deer too.  The following spring, we welcomed Gale, our Great Dane pup.  Between Gale, the deer fence and deer spray, three years later, I finally had a full summer harvest.  The following spring, our backyard was fenced with a privacy fence for Gale, and then the vegetable garden got split rail, with chicken wire to keep Gale out too. Why does any of this matter?  Well, gardening, of any kind is a journey. No one is an expert starting out.  You can read and research and plan, and plants may die, or be eaten, or there can be a drought, or there can be too much rain.  You just never know.  Overtime I have gotten better, and get more enjoyment from gardening each year.  I highly recommend it, and if you are just starting out, this raised garden bed is one small step and start in your gardening journey.

To start, head to your local Home Depot, Lowes, or lumber yard, and you will need 2 2x8x8, cut in half. (Do not purchase pressure treated wood.  PTW is great for decks, and swing sets and more, but not housing a potential food source.)  Having them cut right there is super easy, and you are well on your way to building the boxes.

Back in the garage, I gathered up a few more items.  Power drill, 3″ exterior screws, and two drill bits. I used a 1/16th twist bit for pre-drilling, and a phillips head drive bit.

I tapped Chef to photograph me building to make it easier for all of us.  In two of the four boards, on each end, pre-drill three holes on each side. These do not need to be measured, just eye it and go for it.

Once the 12 holes are created, butt one non-drilled board to a drilled board. Screw them together.

All drilled together.

Before placing this in your yard, you need to plan a little.  You definitely want to place the box will get a several full hours of sun each day, and can easily be accessed by your hose for watering.

You may want to considering clearing the land where you place the box of grass or debris.  Admittedly, I didn’t do this for the ten boxes I previously built,  but I did this time around because it was so overgrown with weeds.

Set your box.

Fill it with soil. For a box four feet by four feet, you will need just over 10 cubic yards of soil. Fill the box.

This size box will grow any combination of the following:
four tomato plants with tomato cages
one tomato plant, and several herbs like basil, cilantro, chives and more
mesclun mix, spinach, and romaine
sunflowers
zucchini
cucumbers

The list is truly endless.  You can put your building and gardening skills to the test with this project. Good luck and have fun in the garden.

Supplies for the box
2 2″ x 8″ x 8′, cut in half
power drill
12 3″ exterior screws
1/16th twist bit for pre-drilling
phillips head drive bit
10 cubic feet of top soil