[ Video ] Landscaping for Small Yards: Building Raised Beds

An oft-cited principle regarding construction in crowded areas is, if you can't build out, you have to build up. That same principle is, in part, the inspiration behind the present project for landscaping small yards. This tutorial deals with building raised beds in a portable "bench" style, which gives you a planting bed on top and a storage area below. I cite other advantages of building units in this style on the next page. Elsewhere, I show you how to build raised beds in a somewhat more conventional style. Measurements and Buying Lumber for the Raised Bed The raised bed in this project stands 3' tall. But much of that height comes from the supporting legs. The planting bed itself has a depth of 14". The raised bed is 5' long x 19 1/4 wide. We went to a discount store for our lumber. Beyond needing 2 x 4s for framing, dimensions weren't important to us; we were shopping for price, and any boards with a 1" thickness (for the sides and bottom, and for the bottom shelf) would have been fine. We ended up with a mixture of widths: 1x3.5 and 1x6. That's just what happenned to be in the "sale" bin. As you build your own raised bed, adjust your measurements accordingly, depending on the widths of your own lumber. Here's an approximation of the lumber that our project required, in terms of board feet: 39 board feet of 2x4s 6 board feet of 1x6s 50 board feet of 1x3.5s Another advantage of the "bench" style of raised beds is that they're high enough to eliminate bending over altogether while you garden, a point that won't be lost on those who suffer from bad backs. In addition, installing a caster on each leg of the raised bed makes it portable. But the benefits of this style of raised bed don't stop there. Many of us landscaping for small spaces live in the city, also known as "the asphalt jungle." And asphalt simply isn't friendly to plant-lovers. The raised bed that we built for this tutorial dwells on asphalt, near the back door of an urban home. No other style of raised bed would make sense in such a location. Supplies Needed Drill and attachments Saw Tape Measure Screws Paint and brush Landscape fabric Staple gun and staples Lag bolts and ratchet wrench 4 Casters 4 finials (optional) Let the Cutting Begin! Selecting boards from your 2x4 pile, cut 2 of them to a length of 3', and cut 2 others to a length of 16" (see photo above). The former will be the legs for one side of the raised bed; the latter will be the braces, which will join the legs together, forming a framing unit. Repeat this process for the other side of the raised bed. The raised bed in this project stands 3' tall. But remember, much of that height comes from the supporting legs. The planting bed itself has a depth of 14". That means the top of the "floor" will lie 14" down from the top of the 2x4 frame. It is here, in Step #3, that you make that measurement and establish where the bottom of the planting bed will be. The floor will be comprised of 1x3.5 boards. You want the tops of those boards to lie 14" from the top of the frame. The floor boards will be supported by braces spanning the legs. To achieve the correct height, then, measure down 15" from the top of a 2x4. Mark the measurement. This is where the brace will be attached to the leg. Place the brace (one of the 16" 2x4s you cut) perpendicular to the ground. Now place the leg (one of the 3' 2x4s you cut) atop it, forming a "T" shape. The intersection will be where you made your mark. Using the drill, pre-drill a hole through the leg and into the brace. Again using the drill, join the leg and brace with a screw.