build a garden box

Garden boxes are great when you don’t have space for a traditional garden. If designed properly, a bumper crop can be grown year after year in a small space.

I found cutting a rough 2X4 to be very effective for a garden bed. I used rough cut lumber, and cut two eight foot lengths in half. I used a handsaw, but for the braver person a skill saw or table saw would work even better. I then screwed them together using four inch deck screws...two on each corner, for a total of eight screws.

I had previously worked up a spot where I wanted to put the garden box, so the soil was loose and workable. After I placed the box on the soil, I continued to fill it with more soil and compost. I did not pack it, as crops do better is looser soil than compacted soil. In order to mark out individual planting areas, I used twine strung across the bed in one foot intervals (approximately). I was then left with sixteen planting spots, which I proceeded to fill with seeds.

I planted beets, lettuce, radishes, carrots, kohl rabi, turnips, peas, onions...and even some flowers in one square. In order to figure out how many seeds to plant in each square, check the packaging. If it says to plant seeds every three inches, you will plant twelve in each square. If it says to space seeds one foot apart, you will plant one in the center of the square.

To make a deeper bed, 2X6s or 2X8s may be used. Using a natural rot resistant wood is best, such as cedar. It is more expensive initially, but you will save having to replace it for years to come. Corner brackets may be used as well to give the bed more stability...the choice is yours. I have also seen them made using landscaping ties...just be sure they have not been treated with chemicals, as these can leach into your soil.

I also made some beds two feet by eight feet long. I planted watermelon and zucchini in one of these (a mistake on my part, as they cross-pollinated – the result was a zucchini flavoured watermelon). I also used one of these beds for strawberries, another for peppers and tomatoes.

An additional feature to be added to these beds is plastic pipe to hold up row covers or plastic. These can be mounted on six inch spikes pounded into the sides of your bed every foot or so. The plastic pipe can be cut and slipped onto the spikes, forming hoops. The row covers or plastic is then draped over the hoops and secured on the outside of the bed with lumber, soil or rocks.

I have a total of three four-foot by four-foot beds and six two-foot by eight-foot beds. I had very good crops the first year, and am looking forward to another great crop next summer.

One final tip to remember so you have bountiful produce each year is to amend your soil with compost. This keeps up the nutrients in it, and keeps your soil loose and friable.

Happy gardening!

Note: Also published on Helium