Would you like to build a raised bed yourself? Good idea! With our instructions and lots of useful tips, your DIY project will be a breeze.
If you want to build a raised bed yourself, you have a wide variety of options. From plug-in systems, pallet constructions to the individual 100 percent self-made version, there is a suitable variant for every requirement. Among other things, they have one thing in common: They are relatively easy to implement – even for inexperienced young DIY enthusiasts. What other reasons speak for a self-made raised bed, simple step-by-step instructions and many other tips, we will tell you now.
Build a raised bed yourself: That speaks for itself
Raised beds have been trendy for some time. No wonder, they do some advantages over conventional beds.
- Gentle on the joints: Instead of having to get on your knees in front of your bed, you can cultivate your raised bed while standing.
- Higher temperature: When growing vegetables and fruits, a layer of compost is placed on a raised bed, which generates heat through the natural process. This means, among other things, that you can bring in an earlier, more productive harvest.
- Independent: For conventional beds you need an appropriate subsoil, i.e. soil. Raised beds, on the other hand, can also (possibly in small format) settle on balconies and terraces.
- Naturally: The rotting of the organic components serves as a natural fertilizer. A supply of chemical fertilizers is often not necessary.
Building a raised bed yourself also results in important plus points compared to the purchased copies. the crucial things that speak for building a raised bed yourself, we have briefly summarized.
- Perfect fit: your raised bed, your rules. Or rather: your measurements. Both in terms of the size and the height of the bed, you can set up everything according to your needs. Depending on the space, you can determine the area that the self-made raised bed should take up later. Are you particularly tall and want to protect your back by not having to bend down all the time? Then simply build your raised bed accordingly higher and adjust it to your height.
- Individually: You are the boss when designing your raised bed. Do you want to use an otherwise unusable corner? Goes! Would you like to work on several levels? Goes! Do you want to make the most of your elongated but very narrow balcony? Goes! Goes! Goes!
- Cheaper: Ready-made raised beds are often quite expensive. If you want to build your own raised bed, you can get away with it much cheaper.
Tip: If you like one Middle way between individuality and little effort when assembling are so-called Connector systems perfect for you. You save yourself sawing, drilling, etc. and can still assemble them according to your own wishes.
Just 7 steps: it’s that easy to build your raised bed yourself
First you need a few materials and of course the right tools to build your raised bed yourself. Tip: In the hardware store you can find countless Borrow toolsif you only need it very rarely or only once. This saves money that you can rather invest in great plants.
You will need these materials:
- Wooden slats, ideally made of larch or Douglas fir: At least 4 – depending on the width and depth of your raised bed
- 4th Cornerstone and possibly 2 Center post
- Pond liner or Bubble wrap – important: free of harmful substances!
- Countersunk head wood screws (Stainless steel, 5mmx60mm)
- Garden fleece or Weed control as desired
Tip:Decking boards are idealto build a raised bed yourself. They are weatherproof and therefore durable.
If you do not want to build your raised bed on the balcony or terrace, but on a natural subsurface, you will need a few additional things:
Muscle power alone is of course not enough in building a raised bed. You already need one or the other aid. The good thing: the hobby craftsman (s) has a large part of it: in the house anyway.
You will need these tools:
Simple instructions: build a raised bed yourself step by step
Preparations
- Take measure: Think about where your raised bed should be, how much space you have available and what size raised bed you need to grow your desired types of fruit, vegetables, herbs or ornamental plants.
- Get materials and tools: According to your ideas, you will find your materials and see which devices you might have to buy or borrow. Put everything at hand – then everything goes a little faster during implementation.
- Tip: If you don’t want to use standard dimensions, have your boards and stakes cut to size at a hardware store. This saves you time and additional tools, i.e. saws.
- Prepare the soil: Depending on the surface on which your raised bed is to stand, different aspects fall under this point. A so-called garden fleece can protect both your balcony floor and your raised bed itself. Uneven, natural substrates may have to be leveled. Stone slabs are also often laid especially for a raised bed (time-consuming).
Build a raised bed on solid ground (e.g. balcony, terrace)
- It is best to start with a side part, say one short Wooden lath, and a corner post. First, draw and pre-drill the holes for this and then screw both parts right angled together. Tip: The drill holes are ideally a little smaller than the following screws. Pre-drilling is all about preventing the battens from splitting.
- You now attach your first side part to a second corner post. Make sure that the side panel protrudes over the corner post. How far it protrudes depends on the thickness of your slats. If they are two centimeters thick, the side panel must protrude two centimeters accordingly. This will result in a flush corner later.
- If you have connected your first side part with two corner posts at right angles, you can first attach a longitudinal part, i.e. a longer wooden slat, according to the same scheme and proceed accordingly with another side and longitudinal part.
- Depending on how high your self-built raised bed should be, you can now add row by row of wooden boards. It is important to have a small gap between the levelsso that there is good ventilation.
- Check again and again that you are working at right angles. The spirit level should be your constant companion, especially at the beginning. This is the only way to prevent the water from flowing into a lower area and your raised bed from being unevenly moistened.
- An alternative would be to assemble the side and length walls separately. That means: You can first attach the desired number of side boards to the two corner posts. This creates a side wall first. The lengthways boards are now gradually attached to these.
- If you have decided on a very wide raised bed, we recommend the stabilize long sides with two center posts.
Sink the raised bed in natural subsoil
If you want to set up your self-built raised bed on a lawn or similar and let the corner pillars and center posts sink into the ground, you have to position them accordingly before the actual construction of the raised bed. You can do that for that Simply sharpen the posts and then use a sledgehammer to drive them into the ground.
Or you use so-called ground socketsthat are being smashed instead. In these ground sockets – which you ram into the ground with a wooden mallet (important!) And a sledgehammer – the corner posts and, if necessary, the middle posts are then inserted. Here, too, it says: The ends of the posts that go into the ground sockets must be made thinner so that a smooth transition is created.
If the ground sockets are in the ground and the posts are in the ground sockets, they only need to be connected with screws. Then you can attach the wooden slats as described above.
Important: Before you put another level on top after the first row of boards, first add a strip of wire mesh. Secure them thoroughly with the stapler, making sure that there is no loophole for voles or moles.
Complete the raised bed
- When the raised bed has taken its shape and turned into something like a big box, all you have to do is put it in place Line with a pond or bubble wrap. In this way, the wood does not unnecessarily remove moisture from the ground – good for your cultivation AND the durability of the raised bed.
- Fasten the film with the stapler. The knobs point outwards, i.e. towards the wood.
Now you can also fill your self-made raised bed. If you have any questions about this, we have a lot of information and tips for you here. You may also be interested in the following questions:
What does it cost to build a raised bed yourself?
Unfortunately, there is no specific answer to the question of costs. Your costs depend on many factors, such as the size of your raised bed and the amount of tools you have. In order to give you a clue as to what costs you could face, here are some price examples:
- Decking boards (Douglas fir) cost between 2 euros and 25 euros per meter.
- Garden or weed fleece costs between 70 cents and 3.80 euros per square meter.
- Bubble wrap costs between 1.90 euros and 2.50 euros per square meter.
- Impact ground sockets are available for around 3 euros each.
- Wire mesh costs less than 2 euros a meter.
Which wood is suitable for a raised bed?
If you want to build your own raised bed, you should pay attention to weather-resistant wood. This ensures that you benefit from it for a long time. Are particularly well suited Boards made of larch, oak or Douglas fir; but also tropical woods such as teak, ebony or meranti are ideal because of their natural resistance. With tropical woods, you should look out for certified dealers. You can usually recognize this by the FSC seal.
Which location is best?
Where you set up your raised bed naturally depends on your individual circumstances. If you want to grow fruits and vegetables, however, you should choose one if possible Place in north-south orientation regard. Then the plants get the maximum amount of sun. Depending on how big your property is, it is advisable to think briefly about watering. You probably don’t want to lug around too many watering cans if you could place your raised bed right next to a water source.
Which is better: a raised bed made of wood or metal?
We have dealt with wooden structures in this article. There are also numerous metal raised beds on the market. However, these have one disadvantage: metal is a good conductor of heat. With a raised bed, however, this can have undesirable consequences. At both very high and very low temperatures, the conductivity of the metal can be more damaging to your plants.