By Leonard Cicerello, UC Master Gardener
The raised beds, as seen in the above picture, were constructed in 2018 for the Demonstration Garden kitchen garden plot. The supplies and instructions are for a single 8’ x 4’ x 4’ bed. The supplies can be adjusted to construct a bed of shorter length or depth which would significantly decrease the amount of soil needed to fill the bed.
Materials for one planter box:
- Four 2’ x 4’ x 16’ Redwood
- One 2” x 4” x 8’ Redwood
- Three sheets of corrugated galvanized steel – 27” x 8’
- 2 ½” deck screws for 2” x 4”s and 1 ½” screws with rubber washers for metal (eg: metal type roofing screws or similar, such as Teks Zinc plated steel hex washer and head roofing screws)
- Optional 1” x 6” redwood cap over 2” x 4”s with 1 ½ ” wood screws for 1” x 6”s
Optional ¼” wire mesh to cover bottom of planter for gopher protection.
Assemble wood frame:
- Cut redwood into four 4’ lengths and four 8’ lengths. Using the 2 ½” deck screws, assemble two 4’ x 8’ rectangles, one for the top and one for the bottom of the bed.
- For the vertical 2” x 4”s which connect the rectangles: Cut the remaining 2” x 4” redwood into twelve 2’ lengths.
- Attach the 2’ sections of 2” x 4”s to one rectangular frame as shown in diagram. Attach second rectangular frame to the 2 x 4s so now the top and bottom rectangular frames are attached by 2” x 4”s.
- Construct entire frame before installing corrugated steel panels.
Installing the corrugated metal:
- Cut one 8’ long sheet into two 4’ sheets for the end panels and use the remaining 8’ panels for the sides of the box. Attach one 27” x 8’ panel to the inside of the frame using 1 ½” screws with rubber washers.
Optional: Attach a 1” x 6” cap to the top rim of the bed. This allows space for sitting or placing tools when gardening.
Top Image:
Side Image: All vertical 2 x 4s are 2’ long; 2 x 4s are doubled up at corners
