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Since moving into our new house we have been wanting to
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this was our year to tackle it. Ultimately we settled on two

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 NEXT »

Project Video

Easy Raised Garden Beds with Irrigation

Sponsored by:

(https://www.ryobitools.com/hp/40v)

This tutorial will guide you through how we build our raised
garden area and installed irrigation to automate the watering
process.

1. Layout and Topsoil Removal

After locating the beds where we wanted them we used

a tape measure and some spray paint to mark the
boxes. Then we used a hose to layout an area that will
be landscaped with rock to make mowing and edging
easier.
With the area marked out in spray paint, I then started
shoveling out the top soil and cutting a nice clean
vertical edge between the lawn (or lack thereof) and
what will be landscaped.

Luckily I had access to my father-in-law’s skid steer

which made quick work of clearing the rest of the grass
and topsoil. Getting rid of the top soil will help make
sure weeds don’t grow up and it will provide solid
 ground to build the raised beds on.

2. Roughing in the Irrigation

To get water to the planters I trenched a line from the

nearest spigot and laid 1/2in sprinkler line to each
raised bed location.

I used a tee to go from one bed to the other and made

sure to leave enough line exposed so that when the bed
 was filled with topsoil it would still be exposed.

3. Weed Barrier and Stone

To make sure those pesky weeds don’t grow up we

pinned down some weed barrier before the stone was
laid.

If you plan on bringing in bags of stone or mulch, this

step could be done after the beds are built. Since we
had a dump trailer, I picked up a load of 6A natural
 stone and dumped it in place and spread it around. Had
I waited until after, I would have had to move it by hand
more than I wanted.

4. Appling a Finish

This step is optional since we are using 2×10 treated

lumber but since they are next to the house we wanted
the planters to look nice. We opted to stain the outside
of the planters with Behr’s solid color waterproofing
stain in the color coffee. Doing so before assembly
 saved us a love of time and effort.

5. Assembling the Planter Boxes

I started at the highest side of the box first and worked

my way around. I set one end if the 2x10x12 board on
the ground and clamped the other end to a 4×4 post.
After getting this board perfectly level, I secured it to
the 4×4 post with two lag bolts.
I then worked my way around the first row, using the
same method to make sure it was nice and level. I also
wanted to stagger the joints so each board had one end
flush with the edge of the 4×4 and the other overhung
the 4×4 by 1-1/2″ so the next board could butt into that.

After the first row was done I measured and cut the 4×4
off at what will be the top of the next row.
The issue with building a level planter on unlevel ground
is that the low side ends up having a gap at the bottom.
I opted to cut a tapered board to fill this gap. Another
option would be to dig down and bury the bottom board
but this was easier.

To do so I simply laid the board down the side and

measured how much I would need to cut off at each
end.
I then marked that with a straight edge and cut the
taper with my circular saw so we could get those
boards stained to match.

With the stain drying I could finish installing the top

row.

We also stained just a little ways down the inside of the

planters so that it would look nice with the soil not
completely filling it.

Before filling the planters, I added 2×4 pieces inside the

boxes to tie all the sides together and help keep them in
 line while minimizing bowing.

6. Filling with Topsoil

Before filling with topsoil we stapled plastic to the sides

which will help keep and water and soil from seeping
through the cracks as well as protect the lumber and
plants from direct contact with each other.
7. Finishing Off the Irrigation

After leveling the topsoil we dug a trench for the main

line down the center of each bed and located about
there we wanted the micro sprayers. We installed 6 in
each bed but I ended up only using 4.

We then drilled holes in the main line at each sprayer

location and attached micro lines to connect each
sprayer and plugged the ends of the main 1/2″ line.
 Last but not least, I terminated the other end of the 1/2″
line with a 3/4″ hose connector and tied that into the
hose spigot with a timer on it for daily waterings.

8. Laying Stepping Stones

To avoid having to walk on the smaller stone all the

time (especially barefoot) we opted for stepping stones
in between the planters.

We removed the stone and used a little sand to level the

area before placing the stepping stones and backfilling
the stone around them.
 9. Adding Plants

Most of our plants only required about 18-24″ of space

so we were able to get about 24 plants in these beds.

10. Adjusting the Sprayers

After the plants are in I then went back and adjusted

the sprayers locations and pressure to suit.
We are really looking forward to having our own homegrown
veggies this year and we will be sure to post updates on
social so make sure to follow us on Instagram
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 If you end up tackling this project yourself please post a photo
below and comment with any insights you might have for
others to learn from!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamison Rantz
(https://rogueengineer.com/author/rogueengineer/)
 More From This Author 
(https://rogueengineer.com/author/rogueengineer/)

I'm a Christian, father, husband and former aerospace

engineer. In my spare time I like to engineer furniture for the
weekend DIY'er like myself. In other words, I write plans for
awesome looking furniture that are so easy it will blow your
mind! (No woodworking experience required.)

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Jill − ⚑
3 years ago

They look great! Unfortunately (and I hate to be the bearer of

bad news), you really don’t want to use treated lumber when
growing edible plants. The chemicals can leach into your soil
and eventually the plants. Cedar or Redwood are great
choices, as are untreated wood. Cedar and Redwood have
natural resistance to bugs and rot. Untreated wood will
definitely break down quicker, although it may last three or
more years, but it comes with a much cheaper price tag.

2 0 Reply ⥅

J
Joe Potatoe > Jill
− ⚑
3 years ago

Today's pressure treated wood is safe for gardening

edibles.

Pressure treated wood was hazardous before 2006.

In 2006 the US banned the used of chromium
copper arsenate (CCA).

After 2006 pressure treated wood in the US no

longer contains arsenic. Copper is not used to
protect the wood and copper has no health
concerns.

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