Watch the previous or next video in our series of tips for your yard.

Building a raised planting bed is a great way to grow vegetables or flowers. Advantages include:

• Control over soil quality.
• Better soil drainage.
• Easier to work in the garden.

Raised planting beds can be constructed using wood, block, or brick; with heights ranging from a few inches off the ground to several feet.

Here’s how Allen constructed the raised planting bed for his yard:

1. Wood Frame: Built 5’x10’ frame from 2”x6” treated pine lumber.
2. Line Frame: Covered inner sides of the wood frame with black plastic sheeting to prevent preservative from leaching into the soil.
3. Weed Barrier: Covered the ground with cardboard boxes to prevent weeds and grass from coming up through the soil.
4. Soil Layer: Added bottom layer of soil to raised planting bed.
5. Irrigation: Ran soaker hose through a hole drilled in the frame, then back and forth in the planting bed to provide easy irrigation.
6. Add Soil: Added another layer of soil on top of the soaker hose.
7. Weed Cloth: Covered raised bed with weed cloth stapled to the top of the raised bed frame.
8. Planting: Cut a hole in the weed cloth for each plant, and planted vegetables or flowers.

Watch this video to find out more.

Further Information

• Raised Vegetable Bed (video)
• Raised Bed Gardening (video)
• Raised Bed Gardening FAQ (article)
• Advantages of Raised Planting Beds for Your Garden (article)
• Vegetable Garden: Planning and Layout (article)

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Danny Lipford: Another topic that draws lots of questions is raised vegetable gardens.

Julie Day: Hey, Allen.

Allen Lyle: Hey, Julie! I heard you were in town.

Julie: I heard you had quite an experiment going on here.

Allen: Yeah it’s a test, I don’t know if it’s going to work or not. I wanted a raised bed.

Julie: OK.

Allen: I got some fruits some vegetables. Here’s the experiment: a little layer of dirt and then I weaved in a soaker hose.

Julie: OK.

Allen: And then covered more dirt. So now I’ve got instant water under there.

Julie: Right to the root.

Allen: Right. And then covered this with a weed cloth. And I’m thinking this is going to work, but I was hoping you might give me an honest opinion.

Julie: I think this sounds very well thought out. You’re a man who was pulled many of weeds in his life.

Allen: Yes.

Julie: And you want to make sure it doesn’t happen again. And this weed blocker fabric should help keep anything that might want to sprout in here from having a chance.

Allen: Now I know the big issue of course after this is going to be trying to keep the birds and the critters away.

Julie: Sure, but with the raised bed you have something right here you can attach a frame if you need to.

Allen: Oh, yeah.

Julie: You can do trellis, you can do bird netting, anything you want. Just attach it right to the frame.

Allen: So you going to help me plant these?

Julie: Looks like I’m going to need my gloves.

Allen: Then at the end of the harvest season I’m thinking fish frying, fresh vegetables.

Julie: I’ll wait for my invitation.