Constructing this staple of the vegetable garden is easier than you might think…
There are a couple of reasons I have decided to construct a raised garden bed in my backyard. Firstly, it positions your vegetables at an easily accessible height, so you don’t have to break your back tending to them. Because the vegetables are raised it also means that you are not trodding all over the soil and compacting it.
But the main reason I like using raised beds, is that you can quickly get the soil up to a level that desired for growing bumper crops instantly. This is done by importing a good quality soil mix from a landscape supplier. I live in the South East of Melbourne, and our soil is notoriously sandy, and requires a lot of organic matter to get it productive.
I have chosen to use eWood to construct my raised garden beds. eWood is a great product by a recycling company here in Melbourne called Close the Loop. eWood is made from 100% recycled high and low grade mixed plastics, and is a great sustainable alternative to timber. The great thing about eWood is that it won’t rot. It is a better alternative to treated pine, as treated pine should not be used in the construction of raised garden beds as the chemicals over time leach in to the soil and are taken up by plants which end up on your plate. The other advantage of eWood is that it is cheaper than Cypress pine.
I have outlined the steps to construct your own raised vegetable garden bed below.
List of Materials needed for one garden bed.
10 x 2.4m lengths of eWood
64 galvanized decking screws (or similar… i used recycled roofing screws for mine. )
Equipment:
Circular Saw
Electric Drill
Drill bit
Spirit level
Step 1: Measure out and mark the area where you want to position the raised garden bed. Check that you have enough room to fit the 2.4m lengths and 1.2 widths.
Step 2: Cut 3 of the lengths down to half at 1.2m These will make up the two ends of the raised bed. You can use normal woodwork tools on the eWood.
Step 3. Then lay the cut to size lengths out in general layout of the 4 sides.
Step 4. Pre-drill and screw together the three 2.4 lengths to form one of the sides. Then repeat the process for the other side. For a great handy tip on pre-drilling.
Step 5. Move the two sides that you have put together and the 6x 1.2m out to where you want the place the raised garden bed. Dig and level the ground, and start the install process with one of the sides first. Get this first side level as this will be the the point of reference for leveling all sides of the raised garden bed.
Step 6. Place the second side in place and join the two sides with the cut 1.2m lengths. Then square off, and make sure all sides are level.
Step 7. Install a brace between the two sides running across the middle of the bed. This will insure the sides don’t buckle when you fill it up with soil.
Step 8. Now with the basic structure constructed, you can now fill with soil. I recommend using a mix of garden loom and a good quality compost. In this instance I have used the soil that was already there prior to construction, as I have been working lots of organic matter into this soil over the past year.
Note: Handy hint…use the back of the rake to help level out soil.
Step 9. The final step in the process is to plant out the new vegetable patch. You can either choose to plant seedlings which will give you instant gratification, or you can do as I have and directly sow seeds.
I have created three raised garden beds down the side of my house, so I could practice a form of crop rotation. You don’t have to replicate this system. The fact is that you don’t have to construct raised garden beds to start growing your own vegetables. The key is that you make use of the space that you have in your backyard effectively… and that if you have access to any patch of soil, you can start backyard farming right away!
July 6th, 2009 at 7:22 am
Great article, inspiring, easy to follow directions. just wondering about the ewood? get you only get it from this place in Melbourne?
July 6th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Thanks Suzanne. As far as I am aware they are the only recyclers producing this kind of product. It is probably best to get in touch with Duncan Freemantle directly at Close the loop. to find out your nearest supplier.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Wow this has been a great help…thanks farmer. I plan to do this at the lower end of my backyard. I am just wandering…do I need to be concerned about or allow for any drainage on my raised garden bed?
July 8th, 2009 at 3:12 am
Frank, I typically don’t have an issue with drainage with raised garden beds, as the soil is typically brought in and tends to be free draining. However, you may run in to an issue if you use soil from your plot. If you were concerned with drainage, you could place a layer of aggregate at the base of the bed.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Hi Backyard Farmer
We are limited to a small back yard in Mt Martha and have found your raised garden bed an excellent idea. Like you said, eWood is a dream to work with and a sensible recycled product. Looking forward to filling my creation with a suitable soil mix for my first crop of broad beans. Can you recommend a suitable supplier on the Mornington Peninsula please?
July 10th, 2009 at 5:04 am
Ron, If you are looking for a supplier of seeds on the Mornington Peninsula, I recommend that you head on down the road from Mt Martha and visit The Diggers Club in Dromana. They have a great range of broad beans and an extensive range heirloom seeds for you to sow into you newly created veggie patch.
July 28th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
This is great stuff really helpful
October 11th, 2009 at 6:12 am
Hi Farmer,
Any idea how much the total cost was for the two raised beds?
The dimensions are 2.4 * 1.2 m for each bed is that right?
I am currently looking at putting in a couple of raised garden beds and am not much of a handy man. Put off the idea of sleepers as they wont last long.
Currently looking at Concrete Sleepers (I know they are expensive) but so damn easy to put in for a non handyman person.
Your garden bed looks easy to install would love to compare pricing.
I am looking at roughly $400 for a 1.75 * 1.75 square garden bed with the sleepers
Cheers
October 12th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Hi
Great article and easy to follow instructions look forward to using them to build a couple of these raised veggie garden beds.
Just wondering what dimension eWood you used have emailed them and they came back with thier available sizes I was assuming either the 0.100m X 0.050 m or the 0.200m X 0.025m
October 13th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Hi Chris,
I used the .200m x 0.025m for this particular project.
good luck, and happy backyard farming.
October 14th, 2009 at 5:51 am
Yes, firstly the dimensions are 2.4m x 1.2m. This is because this particular product comes in 2.4 lengths. Therefore, only one cut is required…I can be a little lazy sometimes.
I personally wouldn’t be concerned about the life span of sleepers. If you are really concerned, you can line it with plastic, so the soil is not directly up against the timber. I prefer to use Cypress Pine sleepers if you can find them, more expensive, however a lot easier to work with compared to Red gum sleepers.
You can use concrete sleepers, however they are very heavy to move around, therefore will be difficult to get on site and not as sightly.
In regards to pricing the ewood, I purchased it at around $14 per length, which is a very competitive price. So I have to say an affordable price at around just under $6 per metre. Please be aware, that you will also have to budget for soil, and good quality organic mix will cost around $90 per m2 .
The cheapest, and easiest option if you have limited handyman skills, would be to just dig up the spot in which you wish to plant. You don’t necessary require a raised garden bed to start growing vegetables.
I hope that answered some of your questions Jim.
October 17th, 2009 at 4:04 am
Hi again,
Sorry got another question on this project. I have details from Ewood sent to me.
Do you think it is better to do 2 beds of 2.4 * 1.2 length or 4 beds of 1.2 * 1.2?
Its just that a lot of sites talking about garden beds talks about crop rotations and recommend 4 beds to achieve this properly?
I am limited to space to actually the size where you built those beds and tossing up whether to make more smaller beds or just the two larger ones?
The reading on crop rotations makes me think 4 smaller ones but I honestly dont know!
October 19th, 2009 at 5:16 am
Hi Jim,
Don’t be sorry.
In answer to your question, It will depend on the layout of your garden, as the amount of growing space should still be the same…
In regards to crop rotation, some gardeners work either a 3, 4 and 6 bed system, however don’t be too concerned. The first priority is to make good use of the space that you have. Therefore, I would be inclined to build two bigger beds, just take note of what you plant and where, and you should be still be able to practice crop rotation within the two beds.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Interested in your comments.
For health reasons I need to build beds waist high. This means double the amount of soil. Can I reduce this by placing large or small rocks in the bottom 1/4 or 1/2, cover with geofabric, (both of which I have)then fill the rest with soil which would still be approximately .5 metre in depth.
Cheers.
November 17th, 2009 at 3:15 am
Hi Peri,
There is no reason why you couldn’t do that. The preference for vegetables is a minimum of 30cm soil depth. So half a metre should be fine. However, my other question to you is in regards to cost comparison. You will find that the cost of soil is reasonably affordable compared to any other fill alternatives, so unless you already have some rock, you will find the cost rather comparable. Therefore I would be inclined to fill the whole bed with soil.
November 22nd, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Hi
Will ewood leach any chemicals into the soil? It is made from some pretty toxic ingredients.
November 29th, 2009 at 5:07 am
Rich,
I have been informed by the manufacturer,( Close the loop ), that it doesn’t leach any chemicals into the soil. However, if you are concern at all, I would stick with untreated timber, or galvanized beds (which I’m not a great fan). However both options are not very sustainable.
December 9th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Just wondering about sunlight? When you say they boxes are down the side of your house…how much sunlight would they get day?
I am juts trying to work out the best place in a very shady backyard.
Thanks.
December 19th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Thanks mate. I just moved into a new place in Melbourne, and was investigating what might work for a large unused area at the back of my yard. This suggestion is exactly the thing I was looking for.
Cheers!
December 20th, 2009 at 1:55 am
hmmm, about 4-6 hours of direct sunlight a day.
January 1st, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Hi, we are trying to find a way to make garden beds 60cm in height for my husband as he has trouble bending. what would be the cost of constructing one with your material 60cm by 150X150 love to get a reply. thank you. we are at KIEWA. vic.
January 7th, 2010 at 12:08 am
Hi Irene, my apologies but we currently only service melbourne metro. But to give you a price guide please check out http://littleveggiepatchco.com.au/products/raised-vegetable-beds/. Another option is to use one of these apple crates which are 122cm wide x 122cm long x 73cm high. http://littleveggiepatchco.com.au/products/apple-crates/
February 19th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
I LOVE your site! Great information that has been very useful. I hope you and your family have a wonderful day!
February 27th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Hi
Just wondering if the raised garden beds work just as well being installed over concrete. I have a rather large area and think it would be great to build various sized beds over this concrete jungle! Also would i have to run some sort of drainage system or would i have a moss trail leaking out of the base? Great site,many thanks