Home Garden Series

Raised Beds
Constructing Raised Beds for the Home Vegetable Garden
There are many great reasons to grow vegetables in a
raised bed in your home landscape. Raised beds are
Before You Build,
perfect for smaller yards. They’re also good for people Remove Grass and Weeds
who don’t own large garden equipment and those Removing weeds before you build will make
who don’t want to constantly fight encroaching grass. maintaining the garden much easier in the future. You
This guide will help you determine where to place your can remove weeds and grass in several manners.
raised bed vegetable garden and how to construct it. 1. Use a nonselective herbicide to kill broadleaf and
You’ll be gardening before you know it! grassy weeds. Allow the plants to completely die
and then remove all plant material from the area
where you plan on placing your bed. This includes
Where Should I Place My removing roots.
Vegetable Garden? 2. Use black plastic, cardboard or some other material
to smother weeds and grass from sunlight. This
You are not the only one who likes homegrown process will take at least a month for complete
vegetables, so keeping the garden near your house kill. Again, remove all plant shoots ad roots before
can help to ensure you get to eat the majority of building the raised bed.
produce. Placing your raised bed far from your house
will be more attractive to animals such as possums, 3. Use a string trimmer to remove all grass and weeds
rabbits, deer, raccoons and squirrels, who will quickly in the area. Completely remove all green portions
eat a lot of the results of your hard work. of the grass and then dig at least 3 inches into the
ground with the trimmer to remove roots. Rake it
In addition, seeing your garden will remind you to out and then construct your raised bed.
check on it. Be prepared to visit your garden at least
twice a week. Scouting for insects and disease often
will allow you to treat problems early before they wipe
out your crops.
Be sure the raised bed is near a water faucet. Easy
access to water will ensure you water your vegetables
when it’s needed. Irrigation requirements vary by soil
type. Check your garden often to make sure plants
are not wilting. The soil should feel moist but not
saturated. Place your index finger into the soil. If it
feels moist, you do not need to water. If it feels dry,
water.
If you have a poorly drained yard, place your raised
bed in a high location, or build a taller bed.

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/lawn_garden/home_gardening/vegetables/

raised bed--rev.indd 1 3/4/2015 10:45:31 AM

 Building the Raised Bed
Raised beds come in many sizes and shapes. The
design possibilities for raised beds are limited only
The Standard Raised Bed
by your imagination. The standard bed is 4 feet wide, 8 feet long and
12 inches tall.
The following are examples of raised beds that work
well for home gardeners because they are simple to To build this bed, you’ll need:
build and work well for most vegetable crops. Take
a look at these and use your imagination to create a •• Three 2-by-12-inch boards 8 feet long
beautiful garden area. •• 12 wood screws (2½ to 3-inch self-tapping wood screws
work best and help you avoid drilling pilot holes)
•• Drill and drill bit(s) to fit the type of screws you are using

TIPS Cut one of the 8-foot boards to half its length (4 feet).
Hold the 4-foot board at a right angle to an 8-foot
All Raised Beds Must Be board. Use three screws to hold the board together,
placing one at the top, one in the middle and one at the
At least 8 inches in depth. This allows for adequate bottom of the joint. Repeat again until all four corners
root-ball growth for optimum yields. are connected. This bed can be built to any length. If
No wider than you can comfortably reach connecting boards together to make a very long bed,
the middle. Constantly stepping in raised beds reinforce with a 2-by-4-inch board at each connection.
compacts soil, making it necessary to till and thus Fill with soil and plant.
defeating the purpose of building the raised bed.
Made with treated wood or other suitable
materials. Treated wood made after 2003 is
completely safe for vegetable gardens. Untreated
wood will not hold up in Louisiana’s wet climate.
Fresh wood treated with creosote, such as
railroad ties or telephone poles, may burn roots
of vegetable plants. Bricks, pavers, stones,
cinderblocks and other building materials are
suitable building materials for raised vegetable
gardens.

Taller Ground-level Beds

You can create beds of all heights. The taller the bed, the more soil
you’ll need to fill it. But you won’t have to bend down as far either!
This bed is the simple bed made taller by doubling the height. The
dimensions of this finished bed are 4 feet wide by 8 feet long and
24 inches tall.
To build this bed, you’ll need:
•• Six 2-by-12-inch boards 8 feet long
•• 1 4-by-4-inch board 8 feet long
•• 42 2½-inch wood screws
•• Drill and drill bit(s) to fit the type of screws you’re using

A simple way to construct a tall bed is to follow the directions for

the simple bed but to build two of the simple beds. Then just stack
one on top of the other. Cut the 8-foot 4-by-4 inch board into four
24-inch pieces. Reinforce the two beds by using 4-by-4 boards in
the corners. Screw the sides of each bed into the 4-by-4 boards to
ensure the separate beds don’t separate when you fill with soil and
plant.

raised bed--rev.indd 2 3/4/2015 10:45:32 AM

 Handicap Accessible Bed
This bed is suitable for gardeners in wheelchairs or those Repeat connecting all sides to the four legs until you are
who just want to pull up a stool and sit and garden. The left with a triangle.
wheelchair accessible bed is approximately 34 inches
Cut both 8-foot 2-by-4s in half, making 4-foot lengths.
above ground level with a 28 inch knee clearance.
Screw one half between each set of legs about midway
To build this bed you’ll need: up. This will support the table and reduce wobbling.
Screw the remaining 4-foot 2-by-4s to the bottom
•• Two 4-by-4-inch boards 8 feet long of the table underneath the 6-inch boards running
•• Three 2-by-6-inch boards 8 feet long perpendicular. This will support the weight of the soil
•• Two 2-by-4-inch boards 8 feet long and plants once the tabletop bed is filled.
•• 28 2½-inch wood screws (self-tapping works best to
avoid drilling pilot holes) Using your staple gun, staple the chicken wire into the
•• Drill and drill bit(s) to fit the type of screws you’re using interior of the bed approximately 2 inches from the
•• A 4½-by-10 foot roll of chicken wire bottom of the inside of the 6-inch board. Tightly secure
•• A 4-by-25 foot roll of landscape fabric to all sides of the bed’s interior.
•• Staple gun and staples Next, cover the interior of the bed with the landscape
cloth. You will need to use two layers so that you have
Cut the 4-by-4-by-8 boards into four 30-inch lengths. enough fabric to staple to the interior sides of the bed.
These will serve as the legs of the bed. You should have Finally, fill with soil and plant.
four of these. Extra lumber can be discarded.
Cut one of the 2-by-6 boards in half to give you two
4-foot lengths.
Screw a 30-inch 4-by-4 board onto one of the 8-foot long
2-by-6 boards, using one screw at each the top, middle
and bottom of the 6-inch board.
Next, screw a 4-foot 2-by-6 board at a right angle to the
same 30-inch 4-by-4 board that you previously attached
to the 8-foot board. The 6-inch boards should be on the
outside of the 4-by-4 leg.

Bed Shapes
Get creative with landscape timbers. Landscape timbers
are easy to use if you want to fashion a raised bed into a
shape.
Use at least four landscape timbers on top of one
another to form the sides. Then just use your imagination Raised Beds Can Be Constructed From…
to create the shapes and sizes you desire.
Raised beds can be constructed from many different
You can construct a triangle. building materials. People use lumber, bricks, cinder
Or you can construct a hexagon. blocks, pavers, sandbags and anything else that will hold
soil in place.

Drainage
Remember, however that drainage is crucial. If using
an old container or a bed with a bottom, drill holes for
adequate drainage.

raised bed--rev.indd 3 3/4/2015 10:45:33 AM

 Purchase Soil Fertilize and Plant
Garden soil is not uniform throughout the state. The Use the Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide for more
optimum soil mix for raised beds is a 1:1:1 ratio of sand, information on planting dates, spacing and depth!
compost and garden loam.
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/lawn_garden/
The problem is that you may be introducing incredible home_gardening/vegetables/home_garden_crops/
amounts of weed seeds and disease-causing organisms Louisiana+Vegetable+Planting+Guide.htm
if the soil has not been treated to eliminate weeds and
disease organisms. Most garden centers sell a garden
blend of soilless soil or media that works well for Enjoy the Garden!
vegetables.
You’ll be eating fresh produce before you know it. Just
Soil should be dark and comprised of decomposed remember to pull or spray weds around the edges of
materials. Try to choose a soil that isn’t primarily large the bed so they don’t encroach. Scout for insects and
bark pieces. Too much bark ties up nutrients and drains diseases and choose plants appropriate for the season.
too quickly.
When buying soil or planting media, ask the seller for a
copy of the soil analysis. Make sure the soil has a pH of 5.5 Enjoy your raised bed!
to 7.0. This is the perfect range for most vegetable crops.

This publication was made possible by funds from

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

Home Garden Series

Raised Beds
Author:
Kathryn K. Fontenot, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist (Horticulture)
Charles E. Johnson, Professor (Horticulture)
School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences

Visit our website: www.LSUAgCenter.com

William B. Richardson, Chancellor and Director
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center
Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station
Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service
LSU College of Agriculture
Pub. 3360 E  5M  2/15
The LSU AgCenter and LSU provide equal opportunities in programs and employment.

raised bed--rev.indd 4 3/4/2015 10:45:33 AM