Last spring I created the first garden on my new place by digging a roughly 8′ by 12′ plot out of the stubborn pasture grass behind my house. It worked out well enough; but digging out that plot was HARD work and the grass persisted in reclaiming its lost territory. This spring I wanted a bigger garden, but rather than any more digging I opted for a raised bed. My sister and brother-in-law had already built one. I loved their design and, with their help, built one of my own alongside my existing garden. The finished bed measures 12′ long, 52″ wide, and 20″ deep.
Materials used: four 12′ x 8″ x 2″ boards; four 52″ x 8″ x 2″ boards; two 12′ x 4″ x 2″ boards; two 52″ x 4″ x 2″ boards; eight 18″ x 8″ x 2″ boards (for anchoring the levels together; 230 screws 3.5″ long.
Using two 12′ x 8″ boards and two 52″ x 8″ boards we built the first level. Once the boards were securely fastened, we built the second level on top of that. Finally we used the 4″ wide boards to build the top. We next used the 18″ long boards to fasten the three levels together:

One 18″ board in each corner, like this.

Two more 18″ boards, evenly spaced, along the sides between the corners.

The finished product!
You can see how we arranged the screws.
Afterward, I put a thick layer of cardboard on the ground. We filled the bed with a mixture of 50% topsoil and 50% dairy compost.
Overall, not too bad! I’m anxious to see how my garden turns out.
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