DIY Raised Garden Box
An easy DIY raised garden. I made 2 of these: one with my wife for our yard, and a 2nd one with my Dad for his yard. Each one only took half a day to build. Filling it with dirt is another story.
We used weather treated wood. The sides of the box are made from three 12 foot pieces of 2×12. One is cut in half for the short sides of the box. The top rails are are made from three 12 foot pieces of 2×6. I used 5″ lag screws with washers to attach the top rails to the sides: 5 on each of the long sides, 3 on each of the short sides.. I used 2 lag screws on the outside of each corner, plus an angle bracket on the inside for extra support.
Cutting the top rail to a point at each end allowed us to keep the long edge at its full 12′ length. The top rail overhangs more on the outside of the box than the inside.
The seat is 2 feet long. It rolls along the top rail to make planting and harvesting easier. The top of the seat is made from a 2×10 and the sides are 2×4.
Parts List
Garden Box
- (3) 2×12 x 12′ long
- (3) 2×6 x 12′ long
- (4) 8″ corner braces (with 5/16″ holes)
- (24) 3/8″ x 4″ long hex lag screws
- (24) 3/8″ washers
- (16) 5/16″-18 x 2 1/2″ long carriage bolts
- (16) 5/16″ hex nuts
- (16) 5/16″ lock washers
Rolling Seat
- (1) 2×10 x 8′ long
- (1) 2×4 x 8′ long
- (4) 2″ rubber rigid caster wheels
- (4) plastic nail on glides
- (6) 3″ drywall screws
- (16) 1 1/4″ drywall screws
By Melissa, March 25, 2011 @ 5:35 pm
Thanks for the picture! HOw are these holding up? Love the seat – that’s the first time I’ve seen that idea and I think we’re going to try that!
By Bald Brain, March 25, 2011 @ 6:40 pm
Hi, Melissa. Thanks for your comment. The garden box and the seat are holding up just fine. We’ve had two good seasons of gardening so far. The second year had lots of volunteer plants in it! This year we need to add more dirt and till it up because the dirt from the first year has settled to the point that it only looks half full.