A few weeks ago in this column, I showed our DIY raised garden beds built with cedar fence panels and invited readers to share their ideas, and I was not disappointed in the response. Mobility issues and ideas for raised beds from found materials were common themes. I was able to share their ingenuity and inspiration with you.
Jack made beautiful raised beds from 2×6 lumber and galvanized metal panels and even added scrap gutter material to the end for a window-box effect. He made the beds 30 inches high to reduce the need for bending and kneeling. They are not inexpensive and the material was $150. He warns to put them someplace permanent because you won’t be able to move them later.
It’s easier to garden and sit for a quick rest on higher raised beds built by reader Matt.
Matt built higher raised garden beds to make it easier for him to garden and to make it harder for neighborhood animals to dine on his leafy greens, which was a problem in his first set of raised beds. He used 2×12 boards and 2×8 rim boards to build his new beds. The problem of soil and roots leaking out from between the two boards has been addressed by putting a 1×1 board over the seams. I agree with him that the beds should be constructed with screws, not nails, and that they should use #8 x 3-inch long exterior construction screws.
Tony was lucky to find these discarded pallets that were the perfect size for the sunny corner of his yard.
Tony was ready for luck when he drove by a sign advertising free wood in an industrial park. He wanted to put a vegetable garden in the sunny corner of his yard, and he found stacks of heavy-duty pallets that were the perfect size. He was able to build an elevated DIY raised bed with the help of the pallets. We all do it.
Cinder block raised beds.
If you don’t want to work on a woodworking project if you can’t get industrial-strength pallets, reader Mark shared his success constructing five raised beds out of cinder blocks. For a couple of seasons, he has been growing vegetables in them. Matt shared a low-tech option using large, sturdy tubs and containers, either purchased from a discount store or reuse when the lid has broken. It is possible to grow a garden bed on a sunny balcony, but you need to make sure to drill several drainage holes in the container before filling it with soil, and put some screening material over the holes to keep the soil from falling out.
Fence and other defensive measures against deer and rodents are included in most of the reader photos. Unless your garden is solely herbs and onions, you should set up a defensive enclosure at the same time as you establish a raised bed.
The added height of some of these ideas makes gardening more accessible, but it also makes it more difficult to fill them. Next week, we will discuss what to put in raised beds.