Raised bed planter
Why I made this
Beginner / 3 hours / Hand tools
A 3D representation of the raised planter
This is another very simple project. You can build it from recycled wood, e.g. pallets, but I used treated decking board and timber because it was going to be outside and exposed to moisture due to watering the plants. The weed control fabric helps keep the soil in and the roots warm in the winter. You can use plastic sheeting but make sure you add some drainage holes in it at the bottom. I built this planter about ten years ago and it is still going very strong. I use it to grow herbs in.
Skip ahead
What you need The idea Design & build Lessons learned Conclusion
Disclaimer: This is a description of a build I did. You are welcome to use it and adapt it but you do so at your own risk. I am not responsible for any accidents or injury you receive trying to build this. My estimate for difficulty is an estimate and if you find it too difficult or risky, ask someone better qualified to assist you.
What you need
Materials
- 140 x 28 decking boards
- 50 x 50 treated timber fence post cut to 4 x 400mm lengths (treat the cut ends)
- A roll of weed control fabric
Tools used
- hand saw
- screwdriver
- open stapler - the kind used in upholstery
You can use a brad-nail gun instead of the stapler if you want but it will be over the top for this. A regular paper stapler probably won’t have enough power to push into the boards. Worst case some panel pins and a hammer will do the trick nicely.
Difficulty
Easy
Time taken
3 hours
Cost
- Boards £5 each
- Weed fabric £6
- I already had the timber for the posts from another project but today that post costs around £25 (timber has gotten very expensive lately!)
When I built this it cost me £5 per board and I needed 7 of them. The price of timber varies and at the time of writing those same boards cost £12 each.
The idea
I wanted a raised bed and settled on a box design. The size fits into the space I had so adjust your sizes accordingly. I could have screwed the boards into each other but I wanted something to give it some stability vertically - hence the posts. The weed fabric keeps the soil in but allows water through. To date (5 years) I have never had any soil leakage and water seeps out gently rather than gushing through so it seems to be working.
My design means the posts stop about 20mm below the top edge of the top board.
Design and build
The method is very simple.
- cut the posts and boards to length
- screw the boards to the posts aligning the posts to the bottom edge of the bottom board. Pre drill the boards with pilot holes to avoid splitting
- Staple weed fabric to cover the entire inside of the box including across the bottom face. Make sure there is a good overlap between layers.
I treated the cut ends of the fence posts with some fence paint I had but you can use any external paint. where I could I put the cut end towards the floor as the treated ends would do better in the weather. I didn’t treat the cut ends of the boards and they were decking boards designed to be cut (e.g. they were pressure treated rather than painted).
I used standard wood screws. I was warned they might rust and I should use - more expensive - decking screws. In the very long run they may be better but the standard screws have worked fine for me.
Lessons learned
None really. I did get a few snails in the bed during the first year but I stopped them by putting copper tape around the top edge of the external face of the box. Worked a treat and no chemicals involved.
Conclusion
This is a great little project and was one of the first garden ones I did. Using the decking boards was a great decision as they have stood up very well.