Growing Challenge: DIY raised garden bed
Back in February I signed up for the Growing Challenge -- but because of my insane travel schedule and lingering cold Boston weather, it's been slow going. Fortunately, the long Memorial Day weekend brought both time at home and warm weather, and so we were finally able to finish our raised garden bed. (Admission: Haven and our downstairs neighbor John did all the heavy lifting.)
Step 1: Buy some wood. We could have purchased prefab raised beds, but the ones we saw online were expensive (between $80 - $150) and we figured this would be pretty easy construction. We bought two untreated 2" x 12"s that were 14' long and had Home Depot cut each one into two pieces, 8' and 5'. We also bought one 2" x 3", had it cut into four 18" pieces, then used a jigsaw at home to shape the lower 6" into a spike. The total cost of the wood was around $35, and Home Depot did the cutting for free.
Step two: Assemble the wood. Haven and John attached everything together with screws. This took about 90 minutes, most of it thinking time.
Step 3: Dig a hole. Our lot was originally zoned for business -- and we've got the dirt to show it. We've found everything from pipes to chunks of asphalt buried below the surface and several seemingly healthy plants have died for no apparent reason. So... we weren't exactly crazy about the idea of eating plants grown in our dirt. To provide as big a buffer as possible between our yard and our veggies, we decided to dig a 6" trench underneath the bed. This was definitely the hardest part -- John and Haven took turns over a few evenings.
Step 4: Get some dirt. We ordered composted soil from Cambridge Bark & Loam, which cost about $125 including delivery. To save on the shoveling, we had them dump most of it right into the bed. (We also had them deliver new mulch for the yard at the same time.)
Step 5: Add a worm. Ok, this step is optional, but we found two FAT worms while we were replanting a couple of bushes to make room for the bed. It only made sense to put them in the garden.
Step 6: Add plants. This is where we're at right now. We've picked out some veggies we like (Boston lettuce, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, and a bunch of different hot peppers) and have them all ready for transplant. We're coordinating our plantings with our neighbors, though, so we'll get all the plants in the bed one evening this week.
Step 7: Step back and admire all the hard work!
Step 1: Buy some wood. We could have purchased prefab raised beds, but the ones we saw online were expensive (between $80 - $150) and we figured this would be pretty easy construction. We bought two untreated 2" x 12"s that were 14' long and had Home Depot cut each one into two pieces, 8' and 5'. We also bought one 2" x 3", had it cut into four 18" pieces, then used a jigsaw at home to shape the lower 6" into a spike. The total cost of the wood was around $35, and Home Depot did the cutting for free.
Step two: Assemble the wood. Haven and John attached everything together with screws. This took about 90 minutes, most of it thinking time.Step 3: Dig a hole. Our lot was originally zoned for business -- and we've got the dirt to show it. We've found everything from pipes to chunks of asphalt buried below the surface and several seemingly healthy plants have died for no apparent reason. So... we weren't exactly crazy about the idea of eating plants grown in our dirt. To provide as big a buffer as possible between our yard and our veggies, we decided to dig a 6" trench underneath the bed. This was definitely the hardest part -- John and Haven took turns over a few evenings.Step 4: Get some dirt. We ordered composted soil from Cambridge Bark & Loam, which cost about $125 including delivery. To save on the shoveling, we had them dump most of it right into the bed. (We also had them deliver new mulch for the yard at the same time.)Step 5: Add a worm. Ok, this step is optional, but we found two FAT worms while we were replanting a couple of bushes to make room for the bed. It only made sense to put them in the garden.Step 6: Add plants. This is where we're at right now. We've picked out some veggies we like (Boston lettuce, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, and a bunch of different hot peppers) and have them all ready for transplant. We're coordinating our plantings with our neighbors, though, so we'll get all the plants in the bed one evening this week.Step 7: Step back and admire all the hard work!0 TrackBacks
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Beautiful! Just beautiful. :)
Your work is so encouraging, I'll be doing it during this holidays.
Can you share your design for the wooden boxes? I'm not very handy, and I would love to see a step-by-step of what size boards you used, how to attach them, etc.
Thanks!
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