How to Build a Raised Garden Bed with Legs?

There’s nothing as disappointing as waking up one morning and finding that rabbits have eaten most of your vegetables.

So I started exploring a solution for my garden and came up with a fantastic idea – a raised garden bed!

This practice takes the concept of a raised garden bed and raises it to waist level. It not only keeps rabbits and other pests away but also makes weeding easier because you don’t have to stoop so low.

Apart from rabbits, space and favorable soil conditions may limit your ability to create a desirable garden.

Getting started is the most challenging task for people, but this article provides you will all the DIY steps for how to build a raised garden bed with legs.

What is a raised garden bed?

How to build a raised garden bed with legs?

First, it is a sturdy table-like structure that elevates the planting area above ground level. Second, most household gardeners should keep their raised garden beds to a modest size of three feet long.

It is feasible to build a bigger raised garden bed with legs, but they pose challenges when it comes to portability.

However, if you plan your garden well and are confident that you will not need to move homes regularly, a larger raised garden is an option.

Instead of using the conventional planting methods in the ground, you create an alternative planting area when you learn how to build a raised garden with legs.

A decent-sized raised garden with legs should reach your waist height for comfort when working on the garden.

Most raised garden beds with legs are made of cedar. This wood guarantees durability and strength. You won’t worry about waking up one morning to the disappointment of finding all your plants on the ground.

Cedar is beautiful, affordable, simple to cut and drill, and weathers naturally. However, you can use other wood types if they are treated.

Professionals build the best-raised garden beds. However, if you are a handy person, this DIY article on how to build a raised garden with legs is meant for you.

Why have a raised garden bed with legs?

If you enjoy growing your veggies for home use, there is a method to do it without sacrificing yield or soil quality by planting them outside your garden.

Consider using leg-supported raised vegetable beds as shifting to raised garden beds has numerous advantages.

It’s easier and more pleasant to care for your plants when working with a raised garden bed with legs.

This 3-foot by a 2-foot raised garden bed has plenty of space for excellent garden soil. You’ll be able to grow flowers, herbs, and even small vegetables at waist level.

Plus, the design incorporates excellent drainage with a wire mesh and a landscape fabric base.

The benefits of this design include:

Increased yield: Planting in raised beds differs from planting in conventional beds. To use the space wisely, you should locate the plants as close together as possible without causing overcrowding. In addition, soil erosion is minimized in raised garden beds as the top layer cannot wash away. You also avoid compacting the soil by constantly walking in it to tend to your plants.
Water conservation: This is possible since the plants are close together. It saves money on regular watering while also allowing plants to thrive.
Easy to manage: Raised vegetable beds are especially beneficial for the elderly and those with mobility issues as they don’t have to stoop or kneel to care for the garden.
Portable: Once you learn how to build a raised garden bed with legs, you find other advantages, such as portability. You can position these beds in your garden, on a balcony or sun terrace. If you don’t have space in your garden, create separate beds for herbs and spices and place them near your kitchen.
Less weeding: Weed control is possible because bed planting differs from typical row planting in that there is very little area for weeds to develop. This means you’ll use less labor to care for your garden, and your plants will grow faster.
Efficient utilization of space: A raised garden bed is the best approach when space is limited. You can place other important things under the raised garden, such as gardening tools, planters, fertilizers, and more. This extra storage space isn’t possible with conventional gardens.
Protection: You protect your plants against rabbits and other animals that can’t access your raised garden bed.

Steps for how to build a raised garden bed with legs

We are here! Learn how to build a raised garden with legs by following these simple steps.

Remember that a DIY garden job like this is not as difficult as people may tend to think.

The first step is to have a good plan. A plan guides the process of achieving your goal.

Following these DIY steps for how to build a raised garden on legs will guarantee you a successful outcome.

Tools and equipment

Always ensure that you have quality tools to help you get the job done well!

Tin snips: Get the best here
Indelible marker
Protection gloves
Cotton rags
Cordless drill: Check out this one
Mini Chainsaw
Scissors
Nail gun

Materials needed

Bagged garden soil
Landscape cloth
Galvanized steel hardware cloth (1/4-hole), 4 feet wide
Liquid copper preservative
Two one-by-six cedar boards, eight-foot-long
Two one-by-four cedar boards, eight-foot-long
Two four-by-fours, pressure-treated

Step-by-step guide

Follow these steps to build a raised garden with legs, and in no time, you can be planting whatever you want and enjoying the outcome of your labor.

1. Cut the cedar

Four pieces of one-by-six cedar planks, each thirty-six inches long
Four pieces of one-by-six cedar planks, each twenty-four inches long
Six pieces of one-by-four cedar boards, each twenty-four inches long
Four-by-fours, each piece thirty inches

2. Preserve the legs

Apply the copper preservative to the cut ends of the four-by-fours with latex gloves and rags.

Allow one hour for drying. If you bought cedar four-by-fours that did not undergo pressure treatment, you can skip this step.

3. Attach the legs

You’ll be building the bed from the bottom up. To make a rectangle, lay four one-by-six cedar planks (two long, two short) on their edges on a level surface. The short items placement should be at the end of the list.

Next, screw the boards into the four-by-fours on the panel faces, with the four-by-fours on end. Then attach the legs successfully to the inside of the rectangle.

4. Attach the rest of the raised garden bed

Place a longboard on top of a lower longboard and secure it to the four-by-fours using screws.

Repeat the process on the other side. Then, on top of a lower shortboard, screw a shortboard into position against the four-by-fours. Repeat the process on the other side.

5. Measure hardware cloth

On a level surface, roll out the hardware cloth. Place the garden bed (still upside-down) on the fabric with the aid of an assistant.

Leave two extra inches on both sides and use a straight edge to mark off the material with the permanent marker.

6. Add bottom slats

Add the six slats of one-by-four boards to the bottom of the bed while it is still upside-down.

Place two screws on either end of each slat. The bottom margins of the one-by-six sideboards are directly against each slat.

7. Cut the hardware cloth

Remove the garden bed and place it on its side. Cut along the lines you marked on the hardware cloth with the tin snips.

8. Secure the hardware cloth

Place the hardware cloth on the tray’s bottom. All sides should be upward.

To secure each corner, create the 90-degree angles, make a 1- to 2-inch cut with the snips into all corners of the hardware cloth. Secure with a staple.

9. Roll out and cut the landscape fabric

Roll the landscape fabric lengthways on the raised garden bed tray with the bed upright.

Make sure that each end has an additional foot or two. The material should be at the center. With the scissors, cut the cloth from the roll.

10. Trim and staple excess landscape fabric

Press the landscape cloth onto the tray’s bottom and sides. Use an assistant to keep the fabric in place as four hands make the work that much lighter.

Staple the material at the top of the garden bed. Remove any extra fabric from the tops of the bed’s sides.

11. Add soil to the raised garden bed

Cut the garden soil bags in half and pour the soil into the garden bed, one at a time.

Do not add dirt from the side, as this may cause the bed to tilt. Instead, spread the earth evenly before tipping the contents of the next bag into the raised bed.

Conclusion

Learning how to build a raised garden bed with legs is easy when you have a plan!

These DIY steps for how to build a raised garden bed with legs guarantee the best results.

Raised beds are a wonderful option for home gardening since they allow you to choose different forms and designs and choose which plants and veggies to grow.

In addition, they are simple to build, require little upkeep, and maximize available space.

You can also be a little more creative now that you don’t have to bend and kneel to care for your plants anymore. You also have much better space management when you choose to build a raised garden bed with legs.

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