Lumber Raised Bed

[Christian]

I was advised not to pay for a metalgardenbed and make my own out of lumber.
I'm challenged when it comes to building something.
Is there something you can buy to join plywood piece together, whether at the corners, or middle. Rather then just screwing together. Unless that works.
What do I need to do to prevent soil from pulling plywood apart at the seams where they are joined?
Be about 20' x 5'
Nothing fancy!!!

 

[CanadianLori]

Check out leevalley tools. They have corner braces made for this purpose.

 

[Chuck]

You do not want to use plywood. It will last maybe one year as it will delaminate when it gets wet. It will also "bow" out greatly. If you use wood use lumber made out of cedar. You could use landscape timbers but you'd have to drill a bunch of holes. They will last a few years. For a non-builder such as yourself have you thought about cinder or concrete blocks? No skill at all involved and will last forever.

 

[alp]

Have a look at youtube please. You might find something relevant ..

 

[CanadianLori]

These corners are sold by lee valley and you can layer them as high as you want. Just use good boards, as Chuck said, cedar works or perhaps pressure treated..

 

[Daren]

Hi Christian, There is a thread including Cinder concrete blocks as suggested by Chuck ...https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/cheapest-way-to-create-a-raised-bed.1438/..........also have a look through all the similar threads listed at the bottom of this page. This site is full of so much info if you have time to dig I've managed to make good raised beds out of old railway sleepers. They can be expensive to buy but sometimes they can be obtained for nothing Its just a case of right place right time. I've also used cut up Tree timber and made lovely rustic razed beds.......just Look for a fallen tree and Offer to help cut it up in exchange for some of the wood. You Just need a bit of time to slot them together and a saw, to cut any protruding branches..........here is a picture of one of mine as it is today............Total cost 000000000 Good luck

 

[ReslerMomma]

I love that log raised bed!

 

[TomatoTango]

You should use cedar, redwood, or a similar rot resistant wood if you want them to last 10+ years. Also cylinder bricks make great beds. Depending on your area, hardware cloth may be good too if you have gophers or moles that tunnel. Just staple it to the bottom.

I’ve assembled 18 raised beds so far out of redwood and cedar. I just built 3 more a few weeks ago and the wood cost was like $150 for 3 4x10 beds. You can often find #3 quality or pecky cedar for half cost. It makes great beds or compost bins.

I’ve always cut a 2x4 at 12” to match the bed depth and screwed them together in the corners. You’ll want thick, self driving screws; the square or star head varieties. They also offer metal L-shaped brackets you could attach to both pieces of wood at the corners and skip the 2x4. That may be easier but it’ll cost more money.

https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/more-raised-beds.13364/

 

[David from Dothan]

Heck, you can recycle just about any salvaged lumber to make a raised bed. I used pallets, leftover decking boards, privacy fence boards and even ripped the legs from a 2x10 leftover board for these two beds.

 

[Silentrunning]

If it weren’t for the fact that I am into the rustic look, I would use the new compound deck boards. They are almost indestructible,don’t warp and don’t give off toxins like pressure treated wood. They are a bit costly but will outlast the builder in the long run.

 

[David from Dothan]

If it weren’t for the fact that I am into the rustic look, I would use the new compound deck boards. They are almost indestructible,don’t warp and don’t give off toxins like pressure treated wood. They are a bit costly but will outlast the builder in the long run.

I did use some composite boards that I had acquired from work (free) to build two raised bed inside the greenhouse.....GREAT material but, yes, cost preventive if one had to buy them.

 

[David from Dothan]

I did use some composite boards that I had acquired from work (free) to build two raised bed inside the greenhouse.....GREAT material but, yes, cost preventive if one had to buy them.

Ohhhh......and this one, too.