Raised beds are extremely practical: They can be built quickly and easily from a wide variety of materials, are easy to maintain and also fit not only in the garden, but also on the balcony or terrace. Even if you don't have much experience with craftsmanship, you can build a simple raised bed out of glued wood yourself.
How do I build a raised bed out of glued wood myself?
To build a raised bed out of glued wood yourself, you need squared timber, glued wood boards, wire mesh, pond liner, screws, staple guns and tools. Set up the box on a flat surface, attach the wire mesh inside, position the raised bed in the garden and line it with pond liner.
Raised beds have many advantages
Raised beds have a whole range of practical advantages compared to conventional beds:
- Raised beds provide a lot of warmth thanks to the rotting compost
- this means the plants germinate and grow better
- they are also ready to harvest earlier - and the yields are often higher
- Raised beds offer a high supply of nutrients
- The gardener does not have to fertilize, and any organic material generated is disposed of sensibly
- Raised beds offer good protection against snails - the animals have difficulty reaching the plants
- No one has to bend down to care for the raised bed - it's good for the back
The right raised bed for every purpose
In principle, there is a suitable raised bed for every garden and for every purpose. The range extends from simple wooden boxes to raised stone beds for ornamental plants as a visual highlight in the garden to smart table raised beds for culinary herbs. Ultimately, you choose the material depending on your wallet and personal taste.
Which materials are suitable for building a raised bed?
Raised beds can be built quite easily and inexpensively from boards, round wood or even from old Euro pallets. Constructions made from prefabricated plastic elements, on the other hand, are even quicker and easier to erect. Stone, on the other hand, is more complex and expensive, but also significantly more durable. Metal, gabions or wickerwork are also ideal for building raised beds.
Spring or autumn? When is the best time to build a raised bed
You can create a raised bed both in early spring and in autumn when the leaves change color and the asters bloom. Both times have their advantages. In spring, for example, there is a lot of half-rotted compost from the pruning of hedges and bushes as well as from last year's crop residues and garden waste. The clippings from fruit trees that are cut in late winter can also be used well. Finally, you can start sowing or planting immediately as soon as the raised bed is ready. However, if you didn't have the opportunity to build a raised bed in the spring, you can just as easily build one in the fall. At this point there is also no shortage of plant residues and organic material, which can go straight into the raised bed instead of the compost.
Do-it-yourself brand: Simple raised bed made of glued wood panels
In every hardware store you can buy cheap glued wood boards in all imaginable sizes, which are actually intended for building shelves or as craft wood. With these large boards you can build a simple raised bed in a maximum of half an hour to an hour, although you can vary its size as desired by adjusting the length and width of the boards. Such a raised bed can not only be built in a classic rectangular shape, but also in an L or U shape, for example.
These materials and tools you need
In terms of tools, to build this simple raised bed you will need a screwdriver or, better yet, a cordless screwdriver (€222.00 on Amazon) as well as at least 32 Spax screws (40 millimeters) as well as a large staple gun with suitable staples and a Meter measure. Spax screws have the advantage that they have self-tapping threads, meaning you don't have to pre-drill the holes. It is also best to work with gloves to avoid injuries. Get these materials at the hardware store:
- 4 squared timbers (e.g. 90 x 4 x 4 centimeters)
- 4 glued wood boards (e.g. 120 x 40 x 2.5 centimeters)
- 4 glued wood boards (e.g. 80 x 40 x 2.5 centimeters)
- Wire mesh, 140 x 100 centimeters and with a maximum mesh thickness of 12 millimeters
- Pond liner, approx. 4.2 x 0.8 meters
Depending on your needs, you can of course also get the material in other dimensions and build the raised bed larger or smaller.
This is how the glued wood raised bed is built
First, the raised bed is built on a firm and even surface, for example on the terrace. Take two squared timbers of the same size, it doesn't matter which size you choose, and screw the first glued timber board onto the squared timber flush with the top edge. Screw the second board in place as well so that the first side piece is finished. Now place another board against it at a right angle and screw it tight. Now attach the second board, then the first on the opposite side and so on until you have created a box. The wire mesh is then attached to the lowest side of the board on the inside using the stapler. The wire mesh prevents mice, rats or other vermin from nesting in the raised bed. Now dig a flat pit about 10 to 15 centimeters deep at the desired location and position the raised bed there. Finally, the inside is lined with pond liner to prevent the moisture from rotting.
Tip
You can also coat the outside of the raised bed with an environmentally friendly glaze or wood protection paint to protect against rot and fungal infestation.
