How to build the ultimate raised bed

Step-by-step: Make the perfect planting box for your vegetable garden

How to build a raised bed for the garden

Norm Plate

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Getting started on your raised bed

One 6-foot-long 4-by-4 ($15)
Six 8-foot-long 2-by-6s ($75)
One 10-foot-long 1-inch PVC pipe ($3)
Two 10-foot-long ½-inch PVC pipes ($6)
32 3½-inch #14 wood screws and 16 ½-inch #8 wood screws ($29)
One 4- by 10-foot roll of ¼-inch-mesh hardware cloth ($15)
Eight 1-inch galvanized tube straps (semicircular brackets; $3.60)
32 cubic feet (1 1/5 cu. yd.) planting mix ($25 in bulk or $100 in bags)

Prep first, then build the raised bed in five simple steps

With a table or power saw, cut the 4-by-4 into four 16-inch-tall corner posts. Cut two of the 2-by-6s in half. Cut the 1-inch PVC pipe into four 12-inch-long pieces and the ½-inch PVC pipes into 6-foot-long pieces. Assemble pieces on a hard, flat surface.

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