How We Built Our Big 8 x 24 Raised Bed

Our 8- by 24-foot raised display bed is built to last. We built it in front of our home office in Union Springs where we can watch Bonnie plants grow day in and day out. However, when we’re crazy-busy in spring, the garden will almost have to take care of itself, so we mulched the bed well and set up a soaker hose on a timer to make weeding and watering automatic.

The project in a nutshell: We laid the first row of timbers for the sides, drove rebar into the ground through the base row of timbers and stacked timbers through the rebar (with holes drilled, of course) until the sides of the bed were as high as we wanted (18 inches). By cutting some timbers at varying lengths, we could offset them like Lego blocks for stability as we stacked.

1.With a stake marking each corner and string pulled from stake to stake (we used rebar for stake, but any stake will work), we established a level for the first course of timbers. This photo was taken after the second course of timbers was laid.

2. Corner timbers are fastened together with a metal brace screwed across the seam.

3. This corner shows the sand and a folded back corner of landscape fabric that we used to line the bottom of the bed.

4. This view from the inside shows the how landscape fabric would later be tacked to the second row of timbers.

View a printable step by step guide and helpful tips.

View a How to Video on building this big 8 x 24 raised bed.