Building Plans for Raised Bed Garden

A building plan for raised bed garden provides novice carpenters with a list of materials and complete specifications for making a raised garden bed.

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Raised garden beds require some investment of both time and money. It helps to understand the advantages and disadvantages.

There are many reasons why gardeners choose raised bed gardens.

• Improved soil: Because you build a frame and fill the soil in yourself, it's easy to choose a good soil mix and include rich compost. Rather than deal with rocks, clay or sand in the ground, you can start fresh.
• Better drainage: If soggy soil is a problem in your garden, raised beds may be the answer. They allow water to drain better than typical garden beds.
• Better root crops: Better root crops, such as straighter carrots, unblemished radishes and larger turnips are all the result of the improved soil. As root crops grow, if they hit a rock or another obstruction in the soil, they can develop into peculiar shapes to work around the obstruction. Smooth, debris-free soil can result in straighter, better formed carrots, for example.
• Less soil compaction: Walking around plants to tend and harvest them can compact, or push down, the soil.
• Easier access: From planting to harvesting, raised beds make it easier to take care of the plants.

As you can see, raised bed gardening has many advantages. However, there are some disadvantages too.

• Cost: Raised beds cost more than gardens planted directly into the ground. You have to factor in the cost of lumber, nails, tools, and of course time.
• Maintenance: Raised bed gardens aren't maintenance free. Over time, even the best lumber breaks down from the elements. Insect damaged, sun, wind and water will eventually crack and rot the lumber.
• Chemicals: One solution to the weathering problem is to use pressure-treated lumber. Pressure treated lumber consists of boards soaked or sprayed with chemical solutions and subjected to a curing process. The resulting wood lasts longer and is stronger against the elements. The downside is that many people fear the chemicals used to treat the lumber will eventual leach out into the soil. Recent research suggests that some pressure treated wood can be safe. Studies show that chemicals do not reach into the bed, but will go straight down if they do come off of the wood. Most crops remain unaffected. Planting vegetables a few inches away from the boards forming the raised bed can prevent this. New guidelines for pressure treated lumber also eliminate the most toxic chemicals that were used many years ago. Switching to redwood, a naturally strong wood, or using a chemical-free sealant over untreated lumber avoids this problem. You can also build raised beds using stone, but this can get pricey.

There are many free sources of building plans for raised bed gardens. Here are some favorites:

• Wood Workers Workshop on DIY offers step-by-step guidance with photos and a materials list. The photos are clear and show details such as how to create neat and tight corners.
• Build a fancy raised bed suitable for vegetables, flowers or small shrubs with Runner Duck. Photos accompanying the article walk you through it step by step so you can build a raised bed system with ease.
• Black and Decker, the tool company, offers weekend warriors this project to make an outdoor raised garden bed. Whether you use stone, lumber or another material, you can make raised garden beds in a weekend with this project.
• Lowe's, the home and garden center chain, offers a free plan to make raised garden beds out of wood.
• Raised Garden Beds provides several projects, all with an English-garden theme. While the company sells kits to create these beds, they post the blueprints online. If you have some building experience you can easily recreate what you see and tailor it to your needs.

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