10 Nifty Raised Garden Bed Ideas We’re Stealing for Our Yards

While you’re sitting at home waiting for the snow to melt, why not get a head start on planning your garden for the year? Whether you’re hoping to grow your own vegetables or just spruce up your yard with vibrant spring flowers, one of the best ways to plant them is in raised beds. There are lots of benefits to planting in elevated beds—there’s no tilling needed, you can easily add soil conditioners like compost, you’ll have fewer weeds, and you won’t have to bend down as far to tend to your sprouts. Need we go on?

If you’re wondering how to build a raised garden bed, you’ll be happy to know it’s a fairly simple DIY project. For a basic raised bed, you’ll want to use 2-by-10-inch lumber to create a four-sided box—no need to put a bottom on it, either. The dimensions of the bed can be tailored to suit your space, but you’ll typically want to keep it less than four feet wide to ensure you can reach the center. Once you’ve cut the boards to size, use deck screws to fasten the short walls to the ends of the long walls, and your raised bed is complete! (If that seems a little too hands-on for you, many home improvement stores sell raised bed kits that include pre-cut materials and are quick and easy to assemble.) Before you fill it with soil, you may also want to line the bottom with landscape fabric to block weeds from growing.

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