This DIY tutorial demonstrates how to transform an old deck into a raised bed using composite decking material. The process involves measuring the length of each beam in the deck, drawing a blueprint, deconstructing the deck, cleaning up, assembling the raised bed, filling it with soil, and planting it. The tutorial also discusses the benefits of using composite decking for gardening and provides maintenance tips for a long-lasting bed.
To create a raised garden bed, you will need materials such as composite decking boards, screws and nails, level, and measuring tape. Cut down wall panels to create barrier walls that contain the soil within the bed. This creates a raised nature of the garden instead of just a simple planter.
To make the raised garden bed, you will need to treat your boards, cut decking and timber to size, lay the decking boards together, secure the framework with leftover wood, add compost, and start planting. To create the raised garden bed, first treat your boards, then cut decking and timber to size, lay the boards together, and screw together.
Next, cut four Trex boards at a 45-degree angle to be 5′ long from tip to tip. These will create the two long sides of the garden box. Fill in the gap over the ground, paint the boards, and fill in the rows with soil.
In summary, this DIY tutorial provides a step-by-step guide on how to create a raised garden bed using composite decking material. By following these steps, you can create a durable and attractive raised garden bed that is perfect for growing your favorite flowers or vegetables.
📹 Building a Raised Bed from Decking Boards
Another day in the allotment garden, finally getting my last raised bed finished. It’s been a long time coming but the main area is …
Does a wooden raised bed need a liner?
It is recommended that WoodBlocX raised beds be fully lined with the inclusion of the base and buttresses in order to create an environment conducive to soil retention and to facilitate drainage. This is particularly important when the beds are constructed on patios, paving, concrete, or tarmac. In the event that the ground is of a hard nature, it is advisable to introduce a drainage layer prior to the addition of soil. This may be achieved through the use of materials such as pea gravel, sand, rubble, or small stones.
How do you make a garden planter out of decking?
To create wooden planters from decking, gather all necessary materials, create holes, cut the wood into sizes using a handsaw or circular saw, fasten the boards, attach the base, and fill them with soil. These versatile materials can be used to make planters, raised garden beds, and other items other than decking. Building a wooden planter from scratch is easy and allows for any size and shape, including square or rectangular shapes.
To begin, gather all the necessary materials, such as a decking board, a power or manual drill, screws, screwdriver, handsaw or circular saw, measuring tape, and base material. Once the materials are ready, start building your planter by assembling the boards, fastening the boards, attaching the base, and filling them with soil. This method is perfect for those who love gardening and want to create unique and functional garden furniture.
Should you paint or stain raised garden beds?
Stains are divided into thin- and thick-layers, with thin-layer stains being recommended for sealing raised beds as they penetrate deep into the wood and protect it from the inside. Both paints and woodstains increase the durability of the wood, but paint covers the wood, leaving its natural grain visible. A stain, on the other hand, is a wood coating that gives color and is transparent, allowing the natural grain to remain visible even after treatment. Therefore, it is essential to choose a thin-layer stain for sealing raised beds, as it penetrates deep into the wood and protects it from the inside.
Is deck stain safe for garden beds?
To protect your raised garden bed, opt for a non-toxic water-based stain that is low-VOC, solvent-free, and eco-friendly. These odorless stains won’t cause headaches and won’t provide long-term protection. Staining is more for the aesthetic nature of the wood, adding rich color and enhancing the visual interest of the grain. It’s best to follow the stain with a natural wood sealer product. The raised bed shown is stained with a solid exterior stain in black.
Can you make a planter out of composite decking?
Composite decking is a low-maintenance, long-lasting alternative to traditional wood decking, made from recycled materials like reclaimed wood, sawdust, and plastic packaging. It offers high performance and low maintenance, making it a popular choice for decks and walkways. Composite deck boards are not only attractive but also environmentally friendly, with many companies producing their deck boards from recycled materials. This makes composite decking a popular choice for its durability and longevity.
Is it safe to use composite decking for raised garden beds?
Composite decking is safe for garden beds, but its safety depends on the specific materials used. Some composite decking may contain chemicals that could leach toxins or hormone disruptors into the soil. To ensure safety, choose products labeled as safe for gardens or specifically designed for garden beds. Cedar beds can last between 10 to 15 years, depending on the quality of wood, environmental conditions, and maintenance. Cedar naturally contains oils that prevent decay and insect damage, and regular maintenance can extend its lifespan.
When considering recycled plastic beds, consider factors like durability, ease of assembly, size, and UV resistance. A reputable warranty is also essential to protect against degradation from being outdoors.
What is the negative with composite decking?
Composite decking is a more durable option than wood, costing 15-20% more than pressure-treated pine. Despite the effort put into creating a natural appearance, composites are not as durable as wood. If you’re considering replacing your outdoor deck, it’s important to consider the growing options in composite plastic and wood products. While composites offer greater durability and less maintenance, they may not provide the desired natural look and color.
While wood remains the most common choice, composites are growing in popularity, with synthetic wood accounting for about 16% of the $7 billion-per-year deck market. While wood products still dominate the market, composites are gaining traction in the market.
What do you put under planters on a deck?
To prevent root rot and moisture issues, use proper drainage systems for your deck planters. Place drip trays under each pot to collect runoff before it reaches the deck surface. Regularly move your planters to avoid indentations, sun exposure discoloration, and scuff marks. Rubber mats can be placed underneath each planter for extra protection from rough edges. Non-abrasive trays like plastic or resin can also be used for a more durable planter. Regular movement helps prevent scratches and maintains the health of your plants.
Do plant pots rot decking?
To prevent staining your deck and mold, opt for glazed ceramics or plastics for planters, and avoid porous materials like unglazed terracotta. Solid-sided planters are better than wire baskets or open-topped containers as they prevent soil spillage and keep plant roots contained. Size is crucial, as planters should not exceed your deck’s weight capacity, as overloading can damage your decking material. Use saucers or trays underneath deck planters to prevent root rot and moisture-related issues.
Place drip trays under each pot to collect runoff before it reaches the deck surface. This will help maintain plant health and prevent water damage. Remember to consider the weight of your deck and the proper drainage system to prevent damage.
Can I use old deck boards for raised beds?
This do-it-yourself (DIY) tutorial illustrates the construction of a resilient raised garden bed utilizing repurposed decking joists, boards, and rail posts. The process is environmentally conscious and can enhance any backyard setting, particularly for the cultivation of flowers, herbs, and vegetables.
Can you make raised beds from decking?
Hardwoods are optimal for use in raised beds due to their resilience to weather conditions. It is possible to utilise alternative untreated woods, decking, or railway sleepers; however, the use of pressure-treated wood is not advised, given the presence of harmful chemicals. The use of landscaping fabric as a lining for a raised bed can enhance its durability, although this is not a mandatory step. In the event that one is not yet prepared to undertake the construction of a raised bed, it is recommended to consider our ready-made raised bed range.
📹 Making Raised Garden Beds from Composite Decking | I Like To Make Stuff
Like many of you, I wanted to try my hand at home gardening and I started by making a raised garden beds from composite …
If you want the boards to last, invest in pond lining to protect the surfaces in contact with soil and water. Pressure treated timber resists, but is not immune to rot. Pop holes in the bottom and use sacrificial wood as slats if you raise it up on legs. My raised bed built from scaffold boards rotted after 5 year with landscape fabric liner.
Brilliant article! Very well done. Subscribing with Notification NOW. I actually have decking boards which I am going to be using to make raised beds TOMORROW. Will use this simple/easy idea. Only difference? I have shit load of power tools, Miter Saw, Circular Saw, Power Drill, Clamps, Saw Horse etc. /Cheers.
Great choice with the composite decking. Two things to bear in mind; The stuff grabs heat from the sun and holds it. That may or may not create a thermal overload for plants near the edge. Two, as it gets hot, it gets flexible. You may experience some bulging, even in the short 4′ runs. When doing a deck, you can work some pretty cool curves into the project by getting that decking hot. On a southern exposure with no shade, I avoid that color as by midday you need insulated shoes to walk on it. In my area we get 95-100 degree days in the summer, deck color becomes a real issue. Maybe not so much where you live.
Awesome article! I like to make stuff too😊 I used composite decking and angle aluminium to make my raised beds. I made them 24 inches deep by 6 feet in length. I also built a few 4 by 4 beds. I liked the spike you added at the end of the angled aluminium corners BUT it is really not necessary. I built mine 6 years ago and once they are filled with soil they do not move at all. The soil holds them in place. The composite decking will last forever and is probably the best material for raised garden beds. You explained it beautifully and it is an awesome article! Thank you for sharing!!!😊😊
tip 1: you don’t need spikes, when you fill boxes with dirt, they are not going anywhere tip 2: you don’t need to clean ground under beds if you build taller, layered beds (which is tip 3) tip 3: build taller box – about your waist height – it is easier for your back when you have to work on them and you can fill them with more stuff that provides insulation, drainage and nutrition for your plants: first put a layer of sheep wool – provides insulation from cold ground in winter and prevent too much moisture to leave bed second layer should be branches – this provide good drainage if there is too much rain third layer – cardboard and papers – this will slowly rot and provide nutrients as well as help with keeping moisture fourth layer – compost matter – you can also put organic scraps from your kitchen – this will provide nutrients fifth layer – dirt – this supports roots of your plants sixth layer – mulch (after you plant your plants) – this will prevent excessive evaporating, over time it will rot, providing nutrients to your plants and it will also prevent weeds from growing – you add mulch multiple times over time all layers will compress, so you will have to add things into your bed, mostly compost matter and dirt, so you don’t have to use any fertilizers
They look good. Some advice from a person that has been gardening for years though is that getting rid of the grass was an extra step you could have done without. What I have figured out is that you make sure the soil you buy for your garden has plenty of organic compost in it, and replenish the compost every season that you plant. As far as fertilizer goes you use the slow release stuff about once a month and the quick release about once per week. Also what has helped me alot is that once my tomatoes and other fruit bearing plants started blooming I switched from miracle grow to 4-18-38 masterblend formula which has really helped my tomatoes and squash explode with fruit. Currently we have more squash than we can eat and tons of tomatoes on the way but unfortunately tomatoes tend to take forever to actually ripen and later in the summer is when we should expect our bell pepper. Another thing I would advise is that you build a drip irrigation system for your garden.
Another nice build, Bob! FYI, you CAN use pressure treated wood for your beds; use a heavy plastic linear to act as a barrier between the wood and the soil. Also, newer PT lumber has fewer of the chemicals that were once used, like arsenic, to treat the wood. Of course, be your own best judge for what works and what doesn’t.
Nice idea. Very nicely explained. Made the same thing previously with old composite lumber after replacing a composite deck with a new one. But I made the beds so that straw bales would fit snuggly inside. And since ours were about 12 feet long we used some old locust fence posts as hidden bracing on the inside. That stuff will not rot for a long long time. Filling the beds with straw bales for a straw bale garden saves money, at least where we live, compared with filling them with good potting soil. And after the first season much of the hay turns into compost to use for planting the following year. Plus the hay bales are higher, so less bending. Not sure about the need for angled side posts to stick in the ground though. These beds are not going to blow away in the wind. I did paint the aluminum black to match the posts on our deck and used black decking screws. Looked nice. One other diffetence. My composite boards had grooves on the sides. I jammed 1/2″ round foam insulation into the grooved before sscrewing the boards on top of one another to stop water or soil from leaking out. Worked pretty well.
That book is one of the best easy gardening reference around. A good addition to the book is a template that comes with reference of how many plants to plant per square and what plants do best together. Certain plants don’t make good neighbors. Amazon sells book and template as a kit. One of the best way to water is a soaking pipe and again a little research will give you lots of ideas for a reasonable price. Stay safe, stay healthy
Great job, I love the spike idea. You didn’t need to dig up the existing grass though. Just drop them and line the bottom with cardboard. The grass will die and become compost. Also, when you fill the beds, you should fill them mostly with logs and branches if you have them. They will slowly rot over time, and as they do, they will retain moisture in the process.
I don’t know how bad the weeds get in your area but it’s sometimes useful to put a weed barrier around the sides. The cardboard will work for a time but it won’t stop the weeds creeping in along the sides, speaking from experience. Good luck with the garden, it can be frustrating when dealing with pests, plants not growing the way you want them to, changes in temperatures, rainfall and so on but when it does work it’s very rewarding. What are you guys growing on there? I couldn’t quite tell.
I have just made 5 raised veg planters (12 inch by 27 inch by 15 inch high) and a single planter (12 inch by 15 inch by 15 inch high) so that I can use the 1 foot by 1 foot veg planter template that I bought last year. All the sides were made using pallet wood and the uprights came from a piece of wood that I acquired from a local bar that was being refurbished in 2019. Just had to buy some screws, nails, wood glue and liner for the project. Keep up the brilliant projects. I will be using your mitre saw station idea when I build my own tool shed in the next couple of years.
Hey Bob just finished 4 beds at my house and 5 city pickers containers. Look at the rain bird gardeners kit on amazon for $35. Its enough to get you going and the big box stores and amazon sell all the fittings to do whatever you need. Add a timer and no worries about watering. I’m going to try the bhyve smart timer. Im using over 75′ of 1/2 tubing and 30+ emitters watering each plant directly. Im also using emitters to fill up the city pickers reservoir.
In my experience, you don’t really need to add any spikes or rebar to hold the bed in place. Once it’s filled, the weight of the soil should hold it just fine. As far as material goes, regular dimensional lumber isn’t actually that bad, if you give it a coat of linseed oil. I made raised beds out of regular 2x12s with one sloppy coat of linseed oil, and they’re still going strong after ten years here in the Pacific Northwest.
My husband and I built 6 – 4X4 beds a few years ago and used the same book for planting ideas…weeding them is quite easy as the soil is looser and doesn’t seem to pack down quite as much. I love that you are learning a new skill, hopefully it’s a fun adventure for your kids as well. For us gardening is time we spend together catching up and planning our day/week, with the bonus of veg at the end of the season.
My mate from work did something like this a couple of years ago and his 70yo neighbour suggested he size them to be almost waist height and only about 3/4 of an arms length wide to save back strain and such from bending over, weeding, etc. also root vegetables tend to grow better in deeper raised garden beds. Its a great covid project though! Thanks Bob!
As a former home builder, I enjoy great DIY projects and yours is an EXCELLENT one. Very nicely done. Thanks for sharing it in your article. Having said that, let me offer some experience based tips. You will find in some of my gardening articles on my website some reasons why I stopped trying to grow with Mel’s method. It isn’t that it doesn’t work but if you truly follow it correctly, it is extremely expensive to produce enough food for even 1 person. Mostly it’s the mix cost, but building enough beds is fairly costly too. BTW, you can purchase useful beds precut for about $50 each which are made of red cedar. They will last several years. Considering the value of your labor plus the materials, I’m willing to bet your cost is 2X or 3X that amount for each bed, probably about $150 each….not including the soil! As a single guy, I found it takes about a dozen beds to truly generate enough food consistently to make a significant dent in reducing grocery costs appreciably. One or two beds just gives you a snack now and then. Weather, insects, animals, etc. all steal a little from your production. With just 2 beds you will have a fun hobby but you won’t produce a lot of food. So keep building a LOT more beds! So if you build, say, 10 beds and your labor, materials, soil, etc. cost say $200 per bed, all of a sudden you have $2,000 in getting enough bed space to grow the food your family wants to eat. There’s a reason people in poor places don’t use Mel’s method and just plant in rows in the ground.
we have a drip system that control watering during the night. some of the other comments have great advice on watering systems with buckets and pvc but if you live in an area with cold weather in winter, pvc can freeze with water in it and since it cant expand but the water still expands, it can crack easily. also pvc will get more brittle the more its in the sun. for these reasons i suggest rubber hosing. thats what we use for our garden and animals.
new subscriber – thanks for all the great articles. i’ve been gardening for almost 20yrs. one of the best things you can do for your beds is to not over water. considering these are raised beds that’s a huge hurtle avoided. the next best thing is to get a few inches of compost on each bed. for those sized beds i would have just used compost instead of dirt but too late for that now. maybe in the fall when you pull all the plants out you can put compost in. if you have access to spoiled hay or wood chips that makes a nice cover for the top of the garden. this shades out the weeds and holds moisture better.
Thanks for this article!! I just built two of these, will build a 3rd one this weekend. The only variance was mitered corners – this was a must for me since all I could find at the time was 1-1/2″ aluminum angle, not wide enough for a butt joint. I would add a photo but not sure if I can. They look great!!!!
I built some similar beds about 5 years ago with cedar. They are still working our great for us, and eating freshly picked fruits and vegetables is such a satisfying feeling! Awesome job! Small story; I have been into making things from scratch and baking for years, but recently got into making breads. This year we made sure to plant tomatoes, basil, spinach, oregano, green and red peppers, and jalapeños. This summer a project of mine is to try to perfect making pizza entirely from scratch. Get better every time! 👍
Great techniques in building a raised bed in no time. I would suggest adding support brackets at the midpoint of each wall to keep the wall from buckling outward over time. I built a raised planter as an SIP so we dont have to water it everyday esp in summer. Might be worth building in your future project?
When You’re planting and potting new plant you have to water them absolutely tonnes to help them settle into the soil also if you do this again in pots or other raised beds I would recommend crushing up Styrofoam and mixing it into some soil then filling up the container halfway and filing the rest with the same soil without Styrofoam it helps with drainage
I made a couple beds out of composite decking too a few years ago and they have worked well. I used wooden 2x4s in the corners of mine though to hold them together and the wood is already rotting from being in contact with moisture so much. I am now thinking I need to figure out how to add those corner pieces to the outside of the beds that are already made and full of soil. I’ve been gardening for years and just in case you weren’t aware strawberries are perennials so they come back year after year. So now that you planted the beds full of them they should last there for 3-4 years before you have to replace them or try another type of plant.
Great article Bob. Everyone is getting into vegetable gardens this year it seems. I too opted for not using PT even though it’s treated with copper, there is just no way to test for this. I make all of our beds out of regular framing doug fir, it’s far cheaper and lasts at least a decade direct buried, longer if you line them. But at the same time I would not use composite decking either as it’s also made with plastic and chemical additives.
As a serious allotmenteer, I would always recommend doing longer thinner beds. Base it on how far you can reach so you can weed the centre of the bed easily. Once things are growing it can be difficult, to get tools between plants so you’ll need to hand pull them. For most people 1m x 2/3/4m is good. Also makes it much easier to provide supports along the edges, or use them as borders around an area such as a patio or lawn
Good job and here’s my advice!there was no need to rip up the soil under the beds if you’re going to put cardboard down anyway. It will smother the grass and become part of the soil for your bed. It’s very rich.also if you don’t want to fill the entire thing up with mud or you can’t I would suggest putting would broken branches leave clippings grass clippings or any other natural material that will break down at the bottom of your bed to help bulk it up so you don’t need as much mud. My other advice would keep an eye on the width of your bed if you cannot reach the centrefrom all sides then you will have to lean over into your bed and there’s a chance of you crushing plants or falling in it
I am older and have gardened for years..I also used to watch a tv show called The Square Foot Gardener…he put different crops in each square foot..yours looks like you planted the same thing in each square…he started off with mostly seeds….he had like a square foot of lettuce, a square foot of beets etc..cucumbers will take up a lot of room so put them on the outside squares so they can grow over the edge of your boxes…good luck with your garden.
You are the one always giving me advice and ideas. In this case – I wanted to give you some. I am doing something similar – but I am using 3 foot beds and Hugelkultur. “Self Sufficient Me” is a good website to check out for that (that’s not me). Basically, you won’t have problems with grass coming up from beneath – it can grow up through the soil up to 2 feet depending on the type. Also – you will save your back. By using Hugelkultur techniques – filling the beds should not cost much more. You can easily elevate the beds you have though – at some point – obviously. EDIT: Spike idea = awesome. I will steal it.
I like the idea of permanence. That is, build it once and it lasts forever. But one thing I found out when looking at Home Depot, is they have a composite brand called Fiberon Armor Guard. The problem I saw is that the durable coating (rot resistant) is only on the top and sides (they’re deckboards). Thus the side that will be exposed to soil (the bottom of the board) is apparently just fiberboard, and that won’t last long. So if you like the idea of this article, make sure the boards you get are coated on all sides.
Good one. Simple and efficient. Two things: Cardboards at the bottom, they forbid worms and insects from the ground to work your top soil and make it “alive”. You need connection with the ground. Then, to slow down wood rotting, you can add a plastic alveoled layer between the wood and the soil. So the air can pass and allow boards to dry when wet from the rain. In short: contact from the ground, no contact from the wood. 🙂
Patrick from OYR has a good method for trellising and for creating protection during cooler months. Even though he grows in vastly different conditions, I have learned so much from his and other North American homesteaders and gardeners over the past few years. Also, if you are looking to create more of a food forest style garden, then I highly recommend James Prigioni, Geoff Lawton, Morag Gamble, Charles Dowding and a few other permaculture growers. I am sure that you will be able to adapt some of their methods for your own growing space.
If you go to a place that sells the big square animal pen (like 4’ high with 6″ rectangles) fencing a lot of times they have bent and warped pieces that you can get for free. Buy a couple fence stakes to stake it down beside the boxes. Makes a really good grid to run green beans, snap peas, cucumbers and zuchinis to help train the vines.
Really fantastic work, Bob! 😃 One tip is to make small label signs for each square. Then you can write down in each what is planted there. 😊 And carrots! Don’t forget to plant some carrots! I love eating raw carrots since I was a kid and my mother planted it in the farm! 😂 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
I really like this idea of using composite deck boards like Trex. Maybe the only thing I’d add is a vertical stabilizer bar on the inside of each side near the middle. It would connect the top and bottom boards and provide a little more stability. Like a metal mending plate. The idea of cutting your own corner pieces with a built-in spike is pretty clever.
Hey, so i’m thinking of making one too. One thing that I have learned is you didn’t have to dig up the grass. you could have left it and it would have eventually been food for the bugs and bacteria which is good for your plants. But maybe there is a reason not to… Still learning which is always good. Much of luck and hope you grow some really nice vegs 🙂
Take a regular straw bail and cut out the center. Fill it with soil or composted cow manure and plant a tomato plant or two. Maintain for the growing season. In the fall you can till it into the ground to enrich the soil where it was sitting if you want to make an in ground bed or garden. If not then break it apart and spread it over the lawn to improve the soil for next year.
Nice work Bob & crew! I would have made them higher so that they are easier to manage & that would also keep the little critters out. A netting barrier is also a good idea in case you have the larger critters around. Anyway, another family learning experience which should be fun & productive! 👍👍😉😉🍄🍄
TYFS- These look great 👍🏻! Just wondering how they’re working for you? I really don’t use social media 🙄 so I wouldn’t have seen any updates. I’ve been wanting my husband to build some just like those, I was thinking that the composite decking would hold up really good. 🤓 Would you build them again or differently?
I love the composite idea – that’s probably a cost wash as regular wood planks would have to be treated with some kind of organic preservative like linseed oil or ??? adding to their cost. The spikes are not needed. though. Once you have the boxes filled, nothing short of a cataclysmic flood or a tornado is going to shift them anywhere… 🙂
Great vid with great tips! Another option is to use regular lumber, lined with roofing felt. The asphalt is said not to leach, as evidenced by the historical use of asphalt as a bed liner for drinking water reservoirs. Also check into Simpson ties as an alternative for making the aluminum spikes. The weight of the bed itself should prevent it from moving.
It’s a little late, but next season if you put about 2″-4″ of sand or small Pebble gravel in the bottom it will help with drainage and prevent root rot, which is an issue for a lot of home vegetables, especially potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and others that need quite a bit of water 👍 but herbs and some smaller thread root plants should be just fine with all soil
I don´t even have a garden, nor do I know much about it, but I do grow carrots, potatoes and some herbs on my balcony 😀 I just did how I remember my grandparents were doing it when I was a child, seems to work, it´s growing like craycray 😀 lol can´t keep anything alive inside tho hahaha anything I take inside is as good as dead…..so we only have fake, plastic plants/flowers inside…. Next year I´m thinking of giving some tomatoes a try too 🙂 I have a corner where it´s perfect for them! I´m using dirt mixed with sand (from my grandparents old place, it gives the BEST potatoes) and a good chicken manure, smells awful for a few days, but it turns my balcony into a lush oasis, much better than all this boring, gray concrete that surrounds us here 🙂 💜
i made a bed from coposite fencing i think,hollow as you said, they bend a little inthe middle, no no more maintenance on my old scaffolding one, that lasted only 3 years. sopaint versus plank seemed a good trade off to me, yours look good, i’m not tall so i made them long and skinny so i could reach. square foot gardneing sounds nice, butone sguare is for one sprout, cabbage or salad head, so useless for families 😉 make rows
So we bought some used beds made of that material, maybe a few years old, and they’re quite bowed and sagging and don’t look like they’re going to last much longer. They’re somewhat more durable than wood, but I suspect wood and a good few coats of an outdoor coating will do much better in the long run.
When used on a deck, most composite decking require supports every 16″. The sun and heat will soften the boards which is why poorly designed/supported composite decks end up “wavy” in a short time. I’m wondering if you need to add supports so the weight of the dirt doesn’t bow the whole thing after it heats up? Otherwise, great article!
Hello Bob! Good to see you getting into gardening. I know you are locked up and the resources are limited, but I want to highlight a few things should have been done differently. The main functions on an elevated planter are: -retaining bugs from your own soil so they are not eating the roots. For this you have to put some barrier below the planter. Typical solution is geotextile or garden pond foil. -to retain minerals and compost in your quality soil the barrier is equally important. You will water the plants and the water will was the compost into deeper layers and maybe to your grpund. -to retain water better. Usually elevated planters are a sparate little ecostructure and as the soil is segregated the water will be held longer in the planter. Many folks put drain pipes and rocks on the bottom. You will still have good results in the first year but if you plant carrot or raddish expect some roots to be chewed by bugs in the soil.
Here’s an idea for growing potatoes. We have a dozen big builders trugs (those big flexible bucket things with two handles) with drainage holes drilled in the base. We start four seed potatoes in each of them with about 4″ soil. As the leaves emerge we cover then with more soil until after a few weeks the trug is full. Then leave to grow (watering regularly of course) until the leafy tops die off. Each time we need potatoes we tip out a trug into a wheelbarrow and harvest the potatoes, this means we can pick out every one right down to pea sized, and without any damage from digging tools. The soil can then be tipped into a raised bed planter to grow something else. It is wise to do crop rotation so that the same crop is not grown in the same soil year after year, this allows different nutrients to be used and replaced in the soil and prevents pests and infections from getting a hold. If you want to grow carrots note that the carrot fly can only fly 2′ above the ground. So grow your carrots in containers placed more the 2′ high (we have ours on an upstairs balcony) and the carrot fly won’t be able to find them. You can also do ‘three sisters planting’. Plant sweet corn, beans, and squash in the same bed. The corn forms a tall structure that the beans will climb up while the squash provides ground cover to suppress the weeds. Three crops in one space! Also now is a good time to also build a composting bay. Plenty of info online to help you find one that works for you. Do also look at Anne of all Trades website for good growing tips:
Bob great article and I really like the build. Especially the idea to build the spikes in the corners. The only thing I think you might have an issue with your garden in the future is animals digging up the garden or eating your crops. I recommend that at some point you build a small fence or use some chicken wire to enclose the garden. But other then that happy growing and awesome job.
Hey Bob, I noticed you put strawberries in the bed with your other plants…A tip for growing them is, put them in a container on their own, they are ferocious growers and will take over in no time flat. If you have any off-cuts of PVC guttering or piping ()100mm is good), hang it on the fence or over the edge of a deck, and stick the berries in that, it’ll give them room the run wild, and won’t drag all the good stuff away from the other plants. If you want to get real fancy, you can grow the berries Hydroponically. ;)) Have fun with it all…
Those little spikes are so cute! Then you use them here in Tucson, Arizona and they become flatter than a pancake. 🙂 My mom bought some of the premade ones and she’s loving them. They’re taller and we put hardware cloth under it to keep ground squirrels from digging into the garden from below because Arizona. My dad also put in a watering system to make things a bit easier.
Top Tip…. the chemicals you are trying to avoid by not using pressure treated lumber has been discontinued in the production of pressure treated lumber since 2003. Pressure treated lumber today are treated with borates or copper based preservation chemicals. The most common preservative today is an alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) which is actually some of the BEST lumber to use for raised beds. If you wish to make sure there are NO chemicals at all, you may seal it with a high quality sealer too.
I actually did some research when building my raised beds and contact with NEW pressure treated wood should not be at all dangerous! The way they treat wood now is safer and the chemicals they use are negligible when thinking about eating what you grow. Just a thought as I like the look of real wood over the composite stuff.
I like the idea of aluminum corner brackets. That’s about it. A couple of things to be aware of: 1. The spiked ends were unnecessary and a safety hazard during assembly and transport. 2. Composite decking is absolutely not food safe. If you use for flower garden that’s fine, but NEVER for vegetables. Personally I would not even consider for flowers as the chemicals from the decking board will leech into surrounding soil as well. Just use cedar instead.
Depending on where you live, you may have just built rabbit feeders. Awesome article and I love the design of the spikes in the corners. I’ve been wanting to build some beds in the next year and will likely go with this design just because I love the idea of not having to deal with rotting wood or anything, and they looked great. I’m up in Washington though and we see rabbits all over, so I’ll have to investigate how to keep the rabbits out of it. Well done!
Keeping things alive … Get a water timer that attaches to an exterior hose bib, some drip irrigation piping, fittings and emitters. The timer allows you to establish a watering schedule and the drip irrigation allows for targeted watering with minimal waste of water. Be forewarned, you are starting down a slippery slope. If you are not careful, you’ll be harvesting rainwater from your roof to water your ever growing planting area, creating your own compost, …. 🙂
Biggest tip I can tell you is to learn about your area! Figure out what planting zone you are in, that will tell you when to plant seed or transplant plants for spring and fall gardening. Also figure out what grows best in your area, most veggies and herbs do well anywhere but it is nice to have nich plants also. Figuring out what pests and diseases are in your area are also super helpful so you can know how to protect your plants. Welcome to the world of gardening! Happy to have you, it’s a load of fun!
A tip I can add is to make sure you research how much distance the specific planets should have between each other. I have a “square foot” garden bed full of peppers and they like to have more than a foot between them so you’re not going to be able to fit 12 of them in the bed. Conversely, you can plant onions in rows about 4 inches apart so youll be able to fit a whole lot more than 12 per bed!
I just found your article, just my opinion, you didn’t need to remove the grass. It provides bio-mass to the soil & since you laid cardboard down, you shouldn’t have any problems with weeds or grass. Also, to save some money on soil cost you could have laid down about a third of the depth with old firewood or small tree trimmings or fallen logs from a nearby wooded area. It’s called Hugo culture. (Not sure I spelled that correctly). Happy gardening.
When you set your young plants, dig the hole, add water first, place your plant and work soil back around the root system. Once your soil is firmed back in place, water again from the top and soak it good. A light sprinkling will not soak down to the roots. Many new gardeners make the mistake of a light sprinkling which mostly evaporates. A less-often root-soaking is better.
I like your general idea. When using a BFH on something soft like aluminum or composite (pounding corners in article) a good practice is to lay a 2×4 cut off across the surface to distribute the impact. The only thing I dont like is the fact that you used wood screws instead of a panhead type screw that would contact flush with the aluminum, those screws just look really wonky to me because of their color and shape.
Whoa – that shot at 2:14 – i assume you made your purchase from Home Depot ? Yikes Two items – for ‘small critter control’ and ‘old age bad back control’ – would be interested in ideas about making this about 20-24″ in height for bending over. #2 – i would be really curious though to some long term testing of any possible ‘leaching’ from the deck material into the food area.
My tip is to water it every day, and water it way more than you think it needs. Also your next project is to create a compost bin/box thing and fill it with all your food waste that isn’t animal based. Each year you can then clear out the beds, and put the new compost on the top to keep everything growing nicely. Oh, and the second you notice a dandelion growing in one, pull it out before its massive roots grow everywhere.
Spikes are not necessary. A garden bed is not going to walk away. You might have to excavate a little to get your box level, but once it is full of dirt, it is only going to move in a flood or an earthquake. That plastic decking is kind of bendy, so it might be necessary to connect the midpoints with something to prevent outward bowing outward. If you throw some old firewood in the bottom before you fill it, you won’t need so much soil to fill it. You need 4 or 5 inches of soil for most plants, so the rest can be old leaves, trimmings, kitchen waste etc. Look up some articles on hugel kultuur on youtube. Big chunks of wood work the best. It forms a water reservoir and also hsts a lot of different micro-organisms and fungi. Avoid walnut or cedar. You could put another layer or that decking on to make the box taller if you want. It is nice not to have to bend over much when pulling weeds and digging, etc. I like a 2 foot wide format better myself, because it is easier to reach the middle, but what you did is totally fine. Save all your vegetable scraps from the kitchen and weeds and tree leaves in the fall to compost. I love growing food and I hope you do too. Have fun.
Rectangular boxes are gonna be more efficient. Especially with tomatoes 🍅. Planting in the middle of a square box is wasted dirt and the plants get hidden from the sun 🌞, and it’s very hard to reach for plants way in the middle anyways. Also staple on some landscaping cloth to the bottom. I also Reinforced mine with chicken wire, but I don’t know that it needed it. Invest in some stakes to help hold up those tomatoes 🍅. They grow crazy later on in the year. Also buy lots of bacon 🥓 and enjoy those BLT’s
Couple of suggestions… when placing your beds, consider your water source. Raised beds typically need to be watered frequently– you’re more likely to do that task if your watering source is close at hand. Have your soil tested. Even though you just put “fresh” soil in them, you have no idea what kind of nutrients are in it and what pH it is. Most testing centers will not only tell you the current condition of the soil, but they’ll also include a report telling you how to amend your soil to make your garden more successful. (That reminds me, I need to have my soil tested. 😉
LOVE how your raised garden beds came out! Get some 10-10-10 plant food fertilizer and some epsom salt. Use the fertilizer about once a month. Use about 2 tablespoons of epsom salt to 1 gallon of water about once a month. I usually just mix the fertilizer and epsom salt together and sprinkle it in my garden. HAPPY GARDENING! 💚
couldnt you have cut 45 degree angles on the end of the boards to make them fit into the corners of the metal nicely? or would that have sacrificed too much structure? and did you compare potential chemical leaching of the composite boards to the pressure treated wood you thought of before? the composite boards are a sort of plastic arent they?
boards are normally a bit over-length so that the kerf ‘width’ of the blade wont impact the final length’s you’re able to get from a board. If the board was exactly 96″ a 1/8″ thick blade would yield 2x 47 15/16 not 2x true 48″, the more cuts you make, the more you lose. Also a bit of over-length gives you some room to square up a potentially damaged or imperfect ‘factory edge’
I don’t know if it’s been mentioned but don’t water during the day with a sprayer. Water on the leaves in the summer will cause burning. Water in the mornings is best if you use a sprayer. Try not to water in the evening unless you have a couple of hours of indirect daylight and/or heat to dry the surface a little. Watering late in the evening causes more mold and fungus which I personally discovered 🙂 Raised beds need more frequent watering so you’ll likely have to water every day. I know this is a few months past the article but I’m including this for anyone just now perusal that’s interested in settings up some raised beds. If you forget to water in the morning and the plants are wilting during the day you can water the plants just don’t spray them. Set your nozzle to something that’s not under a lot of pressure or remove the sprayer and just run water between the plants directly to the soil.
You may want to keep some of your bigger wood chips around, as well as some straw or hay that comes your way. If you keep those strawberries planted in the beds, make sure to mosh some of it on top of them in late fall / early winter, best before the cold nights hit. This will help ur strawberries survive any winter, or at least minimize the damage, as well as it will feed the ground some new nutrients. Also please refrain from watering those from over the top and during the day. Best times for watering are 1. early moring, like first sunlight type of times, so the ground wont cool down too much in the heat of the day and the plants will have enough to drink to maximize growth 2. the afternoon hours, during sunset. This will rapidly cool down the soil, so if its getting frosty you might wanna not do that ; 3. afternoon, still 1 to 2 hours away from sunset, so the ground can regain some temperature and your plants wont die from thirst. I would recommend doing that during the summer days, because watering only in the morning can sometimes not be enough. To check if your plants need water, stick a finger in the soil, about 1 to 2 cm in and check for wetness. A dried up top does not always need watering, but is a good sign that you will have to water soon. When you water, rather go a little overboard with it, since the extra water will just sip through the cardboard it will be fine. Watering less but deeper is often seen as the better than watering often but shallow. This also keeps your soil moist, so beneficial creatures such as ants, worms, etc will have it easier to dig and digest it or live in it generally.
I’d invest the time and effort into making a really basic irrigation system with soaker hose. It’s really easy and inexpensive, and it makes it so much easier if you can just drag a hose over, hook it up, and turn on the water rather than having to stand there and spray the garden for several minutes. Soaker hoses are also more efficient because all of the water goes exactly where it’s needed in the soil.
I would gleen all I could from the following… Luke at MIGardener (great seed shop!), Epic Gardening (he worked with Mel Bartholomew) Hollis and Nancy”s Homestead (he’s awesome), Gardener Scott, John Kohler at Growing Your Greens, Roots and Refuge, Bumblebee Junction, and Arms Family Homestead. Learn from these guys and you’ll have a gardening Ph.D.! Love your website!
If you had mitred them your original holes would have been fine. Also not quite sure why you bothered to ‘clean up’ the ground underneath since it will be covered by your soil anyway and will possibly provide a little nutrient. Great idea to use composite material and even better if you can source it from recycled plastic saved from going to landfill.
Like you said you like to over complicate things. I don’t see the point to the corner spikes. After the box is filled with soil, it’s not going anywhere. Plus you don’t need as much aluminum. Great idea to use composite decking. Every once in a while the big box stores have clearance sales on this type of decking. The Square foot gardening method is a good one to follow especially with limited space
i have a tip, give you plants water when the sun is not shining on the strawberries, water droplets work like magnifying glasses and can damage the plants. or water directly on the grond without making the plants wet. just the roots. also after 2 years change the plants to a other bed, or they stop giving fruits
You may have lucked out using the ridged boards, they’re probably more rigid. Not sure the time/expense of the angle metal at the corners is necessary; longer screws, and perhaps 3 per board rather than 2 and you could have screwed them into each other. The spikes are unnecessary, unless you get winds above 200 mph, that garden isn’t going anywhere!
You can save yourself some time, money and energy by using 18″ pieces of rebar to hold your boards in place, that’s if you’re using 2″/12″ treated lumber…which is FDA approved. Using pieces of rebar instead of expensive brackets gives you more flexibility in case you decide to adjust the size and/or location of your beds. The only two veggies that need more than 6″ of soil are carrots and potatoes, the rest don’t…that’s why they’re so often grown in window boxes. Most serious Gardener’s also know that a 3-4 sheet thick layer of newspaper is an excellent weed barrier. For regular landscaping projects wet the thick layer of paper, overlap it as you place it around plantings and cover with 2″-3″ of mulch. It will do three things: help keep your soil more moist (cutting down on watering), totally eradicate weeds/grass and eventually compost, adding needed nutrients to the soil. Sooo…put thick layers of either newspaper or cardboard down where you want to have your garden, put the frame in place, fill it and go from there.
Great👍🏴🥃 but you should never spray water your plants the water lies on the leaves and can be damaged by the hot sun rays ? Some plastic plumbers pipe with holes drilled and buried into soil with enough diameter to fit your garden hose in at to fill/ spray inside the pipe inside allowing the water to seep to the plant/veg to be fed from roots this encourages better root growth for roots to dig deeper for moisture and if you water from top down .the bed becomes soaked and causes plant and root rot because of funguses that lie on to of moist wet soil ..just a wee tip but love the idea of the spikes 👍👏👏🏴🥃
It’d be stronger if you didn’t cut the spikes to points – take a bit more hammering in, but give a better result. And pre-drilling all the corners in one go, the holes are going to be offset by the thickness of the corner from each angle to the next – that’s going to add up over that many corners. Nice little project. Fascinating to see all the different ways people approach the same task, and most of them seem to work.
1) Let some of your successful plants go to seed and collect the seeds. The seedlings will perform better in your climate for the future generations of plants 2) You can plant turnips and radishes and basil around your tomato plants to maximize space 3) With 1 basil plant you can produce an infinite amount of plants, check out basil propagation articles, it’s so easy! 4) don’t be disappointed, every experience is a learning experience
Since you used cardboard you could have left the grass in, as the dying grass would have added more organic matter. Would have been less work for you too. I guess you filled your raised bed with soil before reading Mel’s book. A key to his method of gardening is Mel’s mix, 33% compost, 33% peat moss and 33% vermiculite. You don’t have to stick to Mel’s formula but something similar will do. In my opinion Mel’s mix or your own formula based on Mel’s mix is the most important part of square foot gardening for a beginner. The spacing of the plants comes second. In summary getting the mix right aids aeration and drainage which in turn encourages roots to grow, water to drain and aerobic life to flourish. This makes a huge difference for a beginner gardener. I’m sure your first vegetable garden will turn out ok regardless.
those are pretty, however they bow, bend(turns super soft in the sun) and are very expensive. i have a design that is almost free, stays straight and lasts 10 times longer than wood . I built a thousand sq ft total 8 yrs ago still nice. and some are painted pretty colors,plastic decking is hard to paint. its so simple . maybe ill try to learn how to do a article someday. credit to you though, most use expensive pressure treated full of chemicals.
Maybe, just maybe, they don’t need to be spikes, they could be as they were when you first cut it and it would be ok. Unless the soil is too hard or has too many stones, that aluminium is thin enough to go through it very easily. If anything, they could be a bit pointy, but there is no need to be spikes. I’m saying so because it’s a bit of a waste (unless you’re planning to do something, like forging, with that cut outs) and by not making them spikes at all, once they are set, they will be stronger, there’s more “meat” under the soil. Maybe there is no need for that extra strength but… And whenever you feel like disassemble the beds, that aluminium pieces will be more useful, therefore recycable. But hey, you did the work and I’m a few thousand miles away perusal it from my laptop.
For next time, you can save some labor by not digging up the grass inside the bed. Just lay the cardboard right on top of it. The cardboard will smother the grass and weeds out underneath, the weeds will rot in place & become nutrients, and the cardboard will still break down over time to let the plant roots through. For noobs: “fill dirt” will work, but it will need a LOT of fertilizer, for good plants & harvests (worm castings are a very good, natural, p much universally compatible option.) It’s better to start off with potting soil, for the upper half of the bed at minimum, so you don’t need to buy a bunch of soil additives. Mulching the top of the bed, around the plant stems, with wood chips, straw, or dead leaves will keep the sunlight from drying out the elevated soil too quickly, and will decompose (slowly) to help your soil’s health, without leeching any bad chemicals. Don’t remove the mulch in fall; till it into the soil if you want, but add a layer of new potting soil over it, in spring. Some plants are easier to grow from starters, as shown in the article, than from seed, until you have a set-up to start seeds indoors before winter ends. Most beginners don’t, so starter plants are your friends. Lastly, >>only grow what you’ll eat<<. If you don't like tomatoes or zucchini, skip 'em. It's fine. Plant more of what you like, instead. Especially starting out or in limited space, it's okay, even preferable, to only have 1 or 2 crops that you'll eat a lot of. Branch out when you've got a couple years' experience.
That decking might bow out from the weight of the soil. It’s not as strong as wood, which is why it needs shorter spans when used as decking. Never used it for this so I can’t say for sure, just a hunch. Also that strawberry is going to take over your entire garden, lol. People usually isolate them in their own pots (same with mint). But hey, I guess more strawberries aren’t the worst thing in the world.
Bob, I know the feeling about not knowing where to start with gardening. If you really want to grow a great garden, take a look at the Mittleider Method of gardening. It’s probably a little late for you to go back and do everything the way that it suggests, but there are TONS of good tips and pointers you can take from it. Just google Mittleider Method. It’s AMAZING.
No need to remove the sod at the bottom, it is necessary organic matter, aka food for your soil bacteria. Soil bacteria and fungi make everything possible in a garden. Mulch them just like a Back to Eden garden and you will greatly reduce your weeding and watering. Check out the documentary on YouTube.