Download pdf - Create a Raised Garden

8/14/2019 Create a Raised Garden

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BUILDING RAISED GARDEN WALLSMATERIALS

Red Western Cedar

1x6 tongue and groove, 85'

1x4, 28'

1x2, 112'

2x2, 5'

2x6, 12'

4x4, 8'

Exterior Screws, #10x2", #10x3"

Galvanized Finish nails, 4d, 12d

TOOLS

Circular saw

Jig saw

Drill/screw gun

Table saw or Router

There are lots of reasons to build to a raised garden: it saves

bending over to reach the ground; provides dimension and

interest to a flat yard; football season is over and its time to get

off the couch. Its a relatively easy project that can be tackled

in a weekend.

Think about the following before designing your garden: the

location, shape, size, construction materials, and method of

construction. The first three are integrally linked. Choosing the

location for a garden is, of course, site specific and greatly

influences the choice of shape and size. Use the garden to

provide a focus for your landscape; dont hide it in some back

corner. The beauty of using raised walls is that they can go just

about anywhere.

The shape of the walls can

vary from a simple square or

rectangle to an L, to a

hexagon, or any other layout

you can dream up. (See image

below.) Just remember, the

more complicated the design,

the longer it will take to build.

An outline of the state of Texas

may seem like a great idea

until you get started. If your

goal is to complete the garden

in one weekend, keeping the

project to a reasonable size will

make it easier to accomplish.

Another nice thing about a

project like this is it can be built in stages. One weekend you

can build a fully completed box, and then weeks or months

later, you can add on to your master plan. In this project, were

going to describe a U shape with a bench built in.

As with any carpentry project, there are many ways to build

the raised walls. The simplest is to stack a few landscape

timbers and drive steel rebar through them. Were going to do

something a bit more interesting and attractive. Basically, the

walls will be 1x6 tongue and groove held together by 1x2s. At

the corners, well use 4x4 posts, and finish it all off with some

1x4 trim and some corner caps. Thats the general concept.

Now, lets get into some specifics.

Before we start, we would like to strongly advise you to use

safe operating procedures. Please take the extra effort to always

A

C

B

D

F

G

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wear safety goggles, and secure your work pieces as

you cut them. In addition to following all the normal

safety procedures, when cutting or doing anything

that makes dust with Red Western Cedar, wear a dust

mask, as this wood has natural toxins, which can lead

to respiratory problems in some people.

LAYOUT

We chose a U shape with a bench built in. In

every corner there is a 4x4 post. In between there arethe walls. This type of construction will allow us to

build all of the walls on a table jig (where its easy to

work) and then join them together by screwing into

those corner posts. From the layout, we can determine

the length of each wall. Weve lettered the walls on the

image so we can keep track of them. We like to make

a list with the wall letter in one column and the length

in the other. To determine the actual length of each wall,

measure the true size of the 4x4 post youve bought. A 4x4 post

is rarely actually 4". Ours measured 312" square. So to get the

length of Wall A, we will take the overall length of 6' and

subtract the width of two posts to get the actual length of 5'5".We made a chart below of the walls and their lengths.

Please note: the only wall we did not subtract for posts was Wall E.

Now, how high shall we make the walls? Our decision was

influenced by a desire to minimize the task of filling in soil later.The higher the walls are, the more dirt youll need. So, we

decided on walls that are 16" high.

CONSTRUCTION

Each wall was made with tongue and groove 1x6 boards

(actual size 34"x512") crosscut at 16" high. The boards are held

together by 1x2 boards (actual size 34" by 112") screwed on the

top and bottom, back, and front. Make things easier on your

back and use a stand or table saw. Or build a jig on a worktable.

To build a simple jig, just screw a couple of straight 2x4s 6' long

and 16" apart on the table. Screw another 2x4 at one end,

keeping it square. Now youre ready to assemble.

Starting with Wall A, lay two 1x2x5'5" into the jig, butting

one up against the top of the jig and the other against the

bottom, both of them butting against the square end. Put the

best face down, as this will be the finished side. Complete the

border by adding two 1x2x13" at each end of the jig flush with

the outside. We find it makes things easier if you nail the 1x2s

into the table with a few 4d finish nails to keep them from

moving. (Later when you pull the finished wall from the jig, just

pull the nails out through the face side.) Now, lay the crosscut

pieces of 1x6 tongue and groove into the jig on top of the 1x2s.

Butt the first one against the square end of the jig. Keep locking

them into each other until youve reached the end of the 1x2s.

Youll probably have to rip the last 1x6 to the correct width so itis flush with the ends of the 1x2s. Take two more 1x2x5'5" lay

them into the jig on top and bottom. To hold it all together, use

the #10x2" screws. Red Western cedar likes to split, so if you

are using it, you will need to predrill. Use one of those handy

combination drill/screwdriver bits. Screw the ends first so it

wont keep moving on you, then go back and put 2 screws

through each 1x6, top and bottom. Again, add two 1x2x13" at

the ends, screwing them into the face 1x2s.

When youre done screwing, pull the wall out of the

jig. Were going to add the 1x4 trim (actual size 34" by

312") to the topside of the wall. We could just screw

the 1x4 from the top, but that would be less appealingand the screw heads would collect water. So, lay the

1x4x5'5" on your worktable and center the wall on top

of it. Predrill through the 1x2s into the 1x4 and add

screws. Put 2" screws about every 10"; alternate

screwing through the 1x2 on one side and then

through the 1x2 on the other side.

One wall is now completed. Repeat the process for

the other walls. Find the length for each wall from the

chart you made earlier.

Walls Layout Length Number of Posts Length to BuildA 6' 2 5'5"

B 6' 2 5'5"

C 2' 2 1'5"

D 3'6" 2 2'11"

E 2' 0 2'

F 1'6" 2 11"

G 2' 2 1'5"


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ASSEMBLY

Once all the walls are complete, its time to assemble on site.

The 4x4s should be crosscut to 1634". You will need 8. Lay all

the pieces approximately where they will go. To assemble, butt

Wall A up against a post. Center it, predrill and screw through

the vertical 1x2x13" pieces into the post. Use the 3" screws, 6

total: 3 front, 3 back. Go to the post on the other end of Wall A

and repeat. Work your way around until all the walls are

attached, keeping the walls square to each other as you go.To make the decorative caps for the posts, you can use either

a table saw or a router. Either way, first cut 8 blocks out of the

2x6. Cut the block size square, depending on the actual width

of the 2x6 (a 2x6 is probably 112"x512", so cut the blocks 512"

square.) If using a table saw, set the blade at 45. Place the

fence about 6" over so the blade will hit about halfway up the

thickness of the block. Its a good idea to cut an extra block to

test it, to see if you like it. Adjust the fence to give a handsome

chamfer to the block. Trim each side of all the blocks. If you

prefer to use a router and have a chamfer bit, just set the depth

to eye. Be sure the bit is sharp, as Red Western cedar has a

tendency to splinter.The blocks are attached to the top of the posts using four

12d finish nails. Center the blocks on each post.

The bench is a nice addition that wont take much extra

work. The bench is made of 2x6 boards placed on 2x2 strips

screwed to the walls. If you didnt purchase any 2x2s (actual

measurement usually 112"x112"), you can rip it from the 2x6.

Youll only need about 5' of it, ripping it to 112" wide. Starting

with Wall E, cut the 2x2 to 2' long. Make a spacer block out of

a scrap of wood. Locate the strip on the face of Wall E, using

the 2" spacer between the 1x4 trim and the strip. Predrill and

screw from the inside of the wall, through the 1x6s into the 2x2

strip. Use the 2" screws, spacing them about 6" apart. Nextmeasure the distance from the edge of Wall F to the outside of

the post making the corner with Wall G. (It should be about

1412", 11" wall plus 312" post.) Cut two at this length, one for

Wall F, one for Wall D. The one for Wall F will have to be notched

for the post. Use a jigsaw or a handsaw. Once notched, attach

as before with the same spacer block. Attach the 2x2 strip to

Wall D, butting it against the corner post.

Now, cut the 2x6 boards that make up the bench. Measure

the distance between Walls F and D, so the boards will rest on

the 2x2 ledger. Cut enough pieces of 2x6 to this length to fill

out to the end of the ledger strips. (Flush to the outside of post

F/G). You will probably have to rip one of the lengths to add up

to the correct width. Put this narrower strip first next to Wall E.

When all the boards are in place, using 12d finish nails secure

them in place.

Thats all the carpentry. If you want to clean it up a bit, take

some 100-grit sandpaper and soften any sharp edges. Red

Western cedar does not need any coatings on it. It will weather

to a natural grey color. But if you want to keep the handsome

wood color it has now, you will want to use a preservative

coating. There are many on the market, consult your

professional in the Sears paint department.

The rest is up to the gardener in the family. Take into account

the type of plants you plan to use to figure out how much dirt

to add. Mix in plenty of organic soil, the plants of your choice,

and enjoy natureand your handiworkin a whole new way.