$25 Cedar Raised Garden Bed

Raised Beds for less than 30.00? Yes, it is possible! These 3'x6'x11" cedar beds cost a total of 25.00 in materials (including exterior spax screws). These bed are made from (7) 5/8" thick 5 1/2" wide 6' cedar fence pickets and one 2x2, that's it! If you happen to find a sale on fence pickets, or reuse fence pickets that someone is getting rid of, all the better!

A couple things to note about these beds, I used 2x2 furring strips (which are pine, not cedar), so the first thing to fail on these beds will be the 2x2s. If you want yours to last longer, consider getting a cedar 2x4 and ripping it into 2x2s, or use metal braces. Secondly, the center boards are an important addition as they prevent the sides from bowing out with the weight of the soil, don't leave these out!

Now, on to the how-two. It's super simple!

Materials:

- (7) 5.5"x 6' cedar fence pickets (mine were 5/8")

- (1) 2x2x8

- 2" exterior spax screws (I like spax because you don't have to pre-drill and they do better at not splitting the wood)

Tools:

- Tape Measure

- Pencil

- Miter Saw

- Drill

- Safety Equipment

Step one: prepare your pickets!

Take the top inch off each picket (the dog ear). Depending on the miter saw you have, you can cut multiple pickets at once to save time.

Next, cut the short ends by halving 2 fence pickets (the ends should be cut at 35 1/2"). Use one more picket to cut the two center supports at 34 1/4".

Cut the 2x2 support boards at 11".

Assemble the two long sides by screwing the pickets onto the 2x2s from the outside to the inside (screws should be on the outside of the garden bed). Use 2 screws to attach each 2x2 onto each picket

Attach the short sides the same way. The only tricky part is lining everything up. Make sure you are working on a flat level surface, that will help keep everything square!

Attach the two center supports, again using two screws per picket per 2x2.

Now make enough to fill your space and feed your family! Source some local bulk soil and compost, and plant away! I can't wait for spring!