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Garden Season Is Here

My wife and I enjoy when spring comes around and we can start getting our garden ready for all that delicious food. From the novice gardener to the advance, there is always a simple way to get the garden area set up.  Though it can be a lot of work, I am here to tell you it doesn’t have to be.

Usually, the method here at our home is to plant in the ground. This year we decided to expand our garden space. To do so we needed to put in a low raised bed. That way there is less work and headache of mowing or weed-eating around the garden. What we came up with was so insanely easy to design and build that it only took one person to do it. Not only that, there are so many options for this design. You can change the height or expand it just as smoothly as counting one, two, three… Done!

No Nails or Screws Necessary

Before we get started on the design. Let me explain what makes this raised bed so simple.

This is the Oldcastle planter wall block. You can get it at your local Home Depot and with it, you do not need any nails or screws to build your raised bed.

To kickoff designing the bed we need some measurements:

• The area we will be putting the garden in; as an example, I’ll use a simple 15ft square area with four partitions.
• Also, two measurements from the block. shown in the picture below.

Now its time do a little mathematics…

Crunching Numbers

With the measurements we got above, we are one step closer to getting our desired length for the lumber. To do this there involves a little number crunching…

We know that there are three blocks and two boards that need to fit in the 15ft space. Therefore, to get the length of the boards we need to subtract 6 1/4in. per corner block and 4 3/4in. for the middle of the total length. Then divide that number by 2. For example:

• 15ft = 180in.
• 6 1/4in. x 2 = 12 1/2in. + 4 3/4in. = 17 1/4in.
• 180in. – 17 1/4in. = 162 3/4in. / 2 = 81 3/8

Finally, we have a measurement for the length of our boards and can get started making some man-glitter…

Materials Needed

• 9 – Oldcastle planter wall blocks
• 12 – 2″x6″x(desired length)
• 12 – 2″x2″x12″ stakes
• gravel or sand

Tools Used

• Chop saw, circular saw, or hand saw
• Shovel
• Guidelines (rope or string)
• 4 – stakes for guidelines
• Hammer

Piecing It Together

1. Use the shovel and gravel/sand to level out the perimeter of the garden area.
2. Layout the guidelines on two sides of the garden so that they make a 90-degree angle.
3. Place the first block in the corner created by the guidelines with the edges of the block rubbing them. Then go ahead and put in the two stakes in the slots facing the guidelines.
   

   Steps 2 & 3

4. From this point its simple. Go down each guideline placing a board in a slot of the previous block.
5. Put your next block down, slide the end of the board in a slot, and line the block up to the guideline. Push the block against the end of the board to get a snug fit and put a stake in the slot facing the line.
6. Repeat step 4 & 5 for the remaining partitions along the guidelines until you reach your desired lengths.
   

   Steps 4 – 6

7. Now that you’ve created an L shaped wall, you can remove the guidelines and set them aside.
8. Place a block in the center of the garden area. Next, slide a board in the adjoining slots of that block and the two middle blocks along the sides. Give it a good push towards the opposite corner to set it tightly in place. One bed down three more to go.
9. Just as you did with the bed, work your way around to each bed. Placing the last block corner block, sliding in the adjoining boards, and giving them a push to set in place.
10. Once all four beds are together, set the remaining stakes around the perimeter of the bed so that all the block slots are used.
    

    Steps 7 – 10

Final Product

Ta-da! You’ve just completed the build. All that is left is to fill it with some soil and start planting your favorite veggies.

 

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