I built two new raised beds this past weekend and took some pictures so I could share how I put mine together. My first three raised beds have been in use for four seasons and the wood is holding up quite well. Cedar is more expensive, but will pay off over time. Whatever you do, do NOT use any form of treated wood as you do not want the chemicals in the wood potentially spoiling your soil. I wrote another entry about building the raised beds, but took couple pictures and thought I would share a few more of the nitty gritty details.
The Cost - $39 per box
- Each 4x8 box consists of 3 2x6x8 cedar boards from Lowe's at a price of $10.24 per board. I had the nice employee at Lowe's cut my third board exactly in half (free!).
- The only hardware I use is 3" corner braces, with screws included. There are 4 in a package so 2 packages are required per box at a cost of $3.77 per package
Tools Required
An electric screwdriver was my only tool. The wood was soft enough that I didn't have to pre-drill, I just screwed the screws right in! If you don't have an electric screwdriver, I think they could be screwed in by hand, but you might want a partner to help speed up the process or consider pre-drilling the holes. I used 32 screws per box.
The Process
I simply laid the boards out on the most level spot in our cracked up driveway that I could find. I held the brace in place while using the electric screwdriver to drive the screw in. I used two braces per corner, though best I could dig up in a corner of one of my old beds, there are some I only used one brace on and they are still holding together beautifully.
The Time
I couldn't believe how quickly I managed to get the first box put together so I decided to time the second box. Using the electric screwdriver did allow for this speedy work!
I was a little surprised at how fast it went. Granted this is the fifth box I have now built, but even if you add on a little extra time for learning curve, they go together quickly! The trick is to let the lumber store cut the wood. That step alone would have stopped this little project in it's tracks until the hubby was home to help. I now feel like I can conquer the world with the electric screw driver/drill, but I have not graduated to sawing skills yet!
You are wonder woman! Thanks for the tutorial. I do want to get some garden boxes in this spring.
Posted by: LC | 03/23/2012 at 09:41 AM