During the COVID-19 pandemic, gardening equipment sales increased by 63 percent.
While some people started to grow fruits and vegetables to save money or reduce their need to visit the grocery store, others found themselves with more time to enjoy this relaxing hobby.
One of the simplest ways to build a garden in the suburbs or urban areas is by utilizing raised beds. They’re convenient because you don’t need to worry about tilling the land or the quality of the soil in your yard. Furthermore, they are simple and affordable to build.
Would you like to make your very own raised garden bed? This post will guide you through the steps and give you some expert tips for growing plants in your backyard garden!
Gather Your Supplies
Before you can start building your DIY garden bed, you’ll need to purchase some basic materials. For a four foot by eight-foot bed, you will need:
- Two eight-foot-long 2×12 planks
- Two four-foot-long 2×12 planks
- Twelve two-foot-long pieces of rebar
- A hammer or mallet
- Soil to fill your raised bed
With this garden bed style, you have the freedom to use any wood that you’d like. Remember, though, that untreated wood may only last five to ten years. So, if you want your raised bed to last longer, you can purchase some rot-resistant varieties such as oak, redwood, or cedar at the lumber yard.
Position Your Boards
Now that you have your garden bed materials, it’s time to start assembling them! First, choose a location in your yard with at least five hours of full sunlight each day, where you can plant your crops north to south. Doing so will prevent larger plants from shading out the smaller ones.
Furthermore, you should ensure that the ground is level.
Once you’ve found the ideal spot in your yard, you can lay down all the boards and position them so that their inner corners meet.
Add Support to the Boards
Now, you can hammer the rebar into the ground to support the pieces. Start with one of the longer boards and pound two pieces of rebar in the ground about one foot from each corner. They should be at least three inches into the ground.
Next, you should repeat this process on the other boards. Once you’ve finished, you can add a few extra pieces of rebar to reinforce the long sides when they are filled with soil.
Fill Up Your Raised Bed
The last step is filling the raised bed with soil! You should choose rich, dark soil that is full of nutrients and microorganisms. A good rule of thumb is to pack the bed halfway with topsoil and the remainder of the way with aged compost.
If you don’t know if your soil is of good quality, you can purchase a soil testing kit. By examining your soil, you can determine which nutrients you should add to your planting medium.
Start Growing Crops in Your Raised Garden Bed
With a few easy steps, you can create a raised garden bed. Once you have it all set up, it’s time to plant your fruits, vegetables, herbs, or flowers. No matter what you choose to grow, have fun and enjoy your new hobby!
Did you enjoy this post? If so, check out more of our home improvement and gardening posts!
