Raised vegetable gardening gives you more control over your landscape space while increasing the ease of access to your vegetable plants. Building your own raised vegetable garden boxes allows you to tailor the size of your garden beds to the space available in your landscape. The elevated soil level in raised boxes reduces the strain on your body as you work in the garden. Raised vegetable boxes also allow you to provide the best soil possible for your growing crops.
Select a location for your raised vegetable box that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of full, direct sunlight daily. Measure the area to determine the size of the box you will build; raised vegetable boxes should be no more than 4 feet wide and no less than 8 inches deep. Decide whether you wish to orient the box in a north-south or east-west direction. Mark the edges of the space for the box with spray paint.
Dig up any existing plants or sod inside the marked space using a shovel. Clear any rocks, twigs, leaves or other debris from the soil's surface. Excavate a 2-inch layer of soil from the marked area. Smooth the new soil surface with a rake. Place a level on top of the soil and check to ensure that the ground is even.
Pour a 2-inch layer of pea gravel into the prepared space. Spread the gravel as evenly as possible using a rake. Ensure that the level of gravel matches the level of the surrounding ground. Place a level on top of the gravel to ensure that its surface is even.
Place one 16-inch-tall 4-by-4 board in each corner of the marked space. Position each board so that it stands up.
Cut four 2-by-6 untreated boards to equal the length of the marked area using a saw. Subtract 4 inches from the width of the space so that the end boards will fit nicely inside of the lengthwise boards. Use a saw to cut four lengths of 2-by-6 untreated boards equal to your calculated measurement.
Lay one of the shorter 2-by-6 boards across one of the shorter ends of the marked space. Position the board so that it is resting on one of its lengthwise edges. Adjust the left end of the board so that it presses up against a side of the 4-by-4 in that corner. Ensure that the end of the 2-by-6 is flush with the outside edge of the 4-by-4. Screw one 3 1/2-inch decking screw through each corner of the 2-by-6 into the wood of the 4-by-4 using an electric screwdriver. Position the screws 2 inches in from the end of the 2-by-6 board. Repeat this process to attach the 2-by-6's opposite end to the 4-by-4 in the opposite corner. Repeat this process to attach a second shorter 2-by-6 board to the two 4-by-4 posts on the opposite end of the space.
Lay one of the longer 2-by-6 boards on its lengthwise edge along one of the lengthwise sides of the marked area. Line each end of the board so that it is flush with the outside edges of the shorter boards attached to the 4-by-4 posts. Screw one screw through each corner of the longer 2-by-6 board into the ends of the shorter 2-by-6 boards. Insert two additional screws through each end of the longer 2-by-6 board, positioning the screws so they twist into the 4-by-4 posts. Repeat this process with a second longer 2-by-6 to attach it to the opposite lengthwise side of the space.
Add a second row of 2-by-6 boards all around the box, positioning them above the first boards. Ensure that the bottom edges of the second row of boards press firmly against the top edges of the boards in the first row. Screw the ends of the boards in the second row to the 4-by-4 posts.
Attach a 1/2-inch spade bit to the electric drill. Drill a row of weep holes through the bottom row of boards, 1 to 2 inches above ground level. Space the holes 6 to 12 inches apart. The weep holes will allow excess water to drain away through the boards, increasing the bed's drainage and regulating the soil's moisture level.
Fill the box with a 4-to-5-inch layer of topsoil. Spread the soil evenly using a shovel. Tamp the soil down lightly. Add an additional 4 to 5 inches of soil to the box. Spread the soil around evenly and tamp it down lightly. Water the soil in the raised vegetable garden box thoroughly with a garden hose before planting.
Things You Will Need
- Measuring tape
- Spray paint
- Pea gravel
- Four, 4-by-4 untreated boards, 12 inches tall
- 2-by-6 untreated boards
- 3 half-inch decking screws
- Electric drill
- 1/2-inch spade bit
- Slip a 2-to-3-inch length of three-eighths-inch copper pipe into each weep hole to protect the wood from flowing water and increase the ease of cleaning debris out of the holes.