How to Build a Raised Bed Against a House
- 1). Locate the raised bed on a level spot on the side of the house that is out of strong prevailing winds and where rain runoff from the roof does not flood the raised bed.
- 2). Measure the length of the space allocated for the raised bed with a tape measure. Build the raised bed 2 feet wide so you are able to reach the far side without leaning into or standing in the garden.
- 3). Till the soil to a depth of 8 inches within the measured space of the raised bed.
- 4). Cut two boards of 2x12-inch lumber treated with chromated copper arsenate salts (CCA) to the measured length of the raised bed with a saw. These boards act as the front and back walls of the raised bed. CCA treated boards last for many years in soil and do not leach poisons.
- 5). Cut two 2-foot lengths of 2x12-inch CCA treated boards to act as the sideboards of the raised bed.
- 6). Place the two longer lengths of board acting as the front and back wall of the raised bed parallel to and 2 feet away from each other.
- 7). Place one 2-foot length of sideboard against one end of the two front and back boards and the other sideboard against the other end to form a rectangular box.
- 8). Set the boards on their edges, bracing one end of the sideboards against a wall of the house. Match the end of one of the longer boards against the end of the sideboards away from the house so they are in line with each other. Hammer four 3-inch-long galvanized nails through the end of the sideboard into the end of the longer board. Drive four 3-inch-long nails into through the other side of the sideboard into the end of the other longer board to complete one end of the box.
- 9). Turn the other end of the box that was braced against the house around and brace the completed sideboard against the house. Repeat the process of lining up the boards with each other and nailing them together.
- 10
Place the rectangular box over the area designated and tilled for the garden, with the back wall of the raised bed flush against the side of the house. Tamp the box snugly into the soil with a small sledgehammer until it is seated and level as measured by a carpenter's level. - 11
Fill the raised bed with a soil mixture of two parts topsoil and one part each of organic material (such as peat moss or compost), and either perlite, vermiculite or sharp sand.
