If you have noticed the increasing popularity of raised garden beds over the last several years, you are not alone!

You can find raised beds in rural backyards, integrated into larger garden areas, and on patio decks and urban gardens. Ranging from simple cedar-plank squares to elevated beds on legs, they can be as small as a container or large enough to grow large plants and flowers. 

Raised beds are popular because they offer countless benefits and almost no drawbacks. Before we talk about raised beds and how to build one, let’s take a look at the benefits of this kind of gardening.

Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening

A raised bed is perhaps one of the easiest ways to get started as a gardener. And raised garden beds certainly aren’t limited to novice gardeners, but tend to be very accessible to people who are just starting out with their first vegetable or flower garden. 

This is due to their small size, which prevents people from over-committing to a huge garden project that they are not ready for. Additionally, they tend to be forgiving of early planting, inconsistent weeding, and other common first-timer mistakes. 

Another great thing about raised garden beds is that they don’t require a lot of time or hard physical labor that comes with preparing the dirt in your yard to be hospitable to growing plants. Instead, you just have to build the frame and fill it with the appropriate soil for what you’re going to grow. 

Finally, raised beds are a relatively inexpensive investment. There are kits available at many hardware and garden stores that can easily get you on your way, or you can build one with standard household building items. You don’t need to spend a ton of money on a raised bed; you just need to pick the right materials and follow a solid plan.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Raised Bed

The assembly of your raised garden bed will depend on many factors, including whether you will use an existing container or build your own, as well as the materials and size of your bed. This guide will give you the information you need get started.

1. Choose the Best Style for You

A raised bed garden can be created from almost any container that can hold dirt and plants. One current trendy option is to use a large agricultural watering trough.
 
If you plan to construct your own raised bed, either from scratch of from a kit, you will likely be building an open-bottomed frame that sits right on the ground. However, you could also build an elevated raised bed, which is placed on stilts or legs. This is a great option for gardeners who have mobility issues related to bending, reaching, and kneeling. 

2. Think About Materials

Potential building materials include cedar, vinyl, plastic, corrugated metal, and composites. 

Cedar beds are especially attractive. However, metal, vinyl, and composite materials tend to last longer. 

If you decide to use pressure-treated lumber, it is important to line the exterior walls with landscaping plastic before you fill the raised bed with dirt. That way, you don’t have to worry about any of the treated wood leaching into your dirt. 

3. Build Your Structure

We recommend that you start with a simple four-sided structure. A square works, but any shape will work. One of the great things about a raised bed is that you can build it to meet your specific space needs. If you are limited on space, you can still accomplish a lot with a small raised bed. If your space is unlimited, you can build a very large structure!

Keep this in mind: you do not want to have to walk in your raised bed. That means that you should be able to stand or kneel at the side and be able to reach the middle or your garden. Stepping into the raised bed compresses the dirt and eliminates some of the benefits of raised bed gardening. 

If you are using a kit, follow the kit instructions. If you are starting from scratch, we recommend that you use 2 ½ inch deck screws to fasten the sides together. 

4. Prepare the Raised Bed for Soil

Before you add soil, you should consider lining the bottom of the raised bed with something that will help prevent weeds. You can use paper, weed block, or landscaping plastic. 

While this isn’t a requirement, it can be helpful to use this kind of material, especially if you are placing the raised bed on a grassy area. 

5. Add Soil

You will want to fill the raised bed with at least 6 inches of the right kind of soil. Choosing the best soil means researching what you plan to grow in your raised bed and understanding terms like organic, inorganic, topsoil, substrate, and compost.

If you’re using a deep container, such as a stock tank, for your raised bed garden, one option is to use the Hugelkultur technique. Pronounced hoo-gul-culture, this German gardening method involves placing organic material like branches and leaves in the bottom of your container to take up the extra space, then filling on top with soil. As the fill material biodegrades through the season, it provides valuable nutrients to your plantings.

Once you have added your soil, you have a completed raised bed! But there is one more step if you want to create a healthy, thriving garden. 

6. Add an Irrigation System

An irrigation system can alleviate the pressure of giving your plants the perfect amount of water. Instead of worrying about your watering schedule, drip irrigation systems ensure that your plants are watered when they need to be, whether or not you’re on hand to do the task manually. Plus, they ensure more consistent watering and better growing conditions! 

Rain Bird offers innovative solutions to the irrigation needs of farmers and gardeners. One of our exciting new products is making raised bed gardening easier! 

The Drip Irrigation Repair & Expansion Kit is a versatile watering kit that can be cut and connected to fit single or multiple garden beds. You can use this system to irrigate a variety of raised garden bed designs, as it can cover a combined area of up to 4 ft x 8 ft.

Our drip line system includes 80 pressure-compensated emitters that are spaced every 6 inches. This watering system is efficient and effective. It applies low-volume moisture through drip tubing that you place along the base of your plants. 

When you’re ready to build your raised beds, don’t forget to add a Rain Bird drip irrigation system!