Nothing says Spring like a new garden!
I've been wanting to start up a garden for quite a while. In fact, my Pinterest boards are full of gardening tips and ideas, the only thing missing was my garden! Since we are renters, we are not able to do an in ground garden, so I started looking in to the next best thing. And honestly, I think the raised garden is the way to go! No more back-breaking laboring over your precious plants from your knees. Nope, they're right there at your fingertips! Bringing the garden up to my level is saving my knees and back from hours of laying on the couch with a heating pad or soaking in the tub to relieve my pains. (wait a minute, maybe this wasn't such a great idea...I love a good soak!)
I've been wanting to start up a garden for quite a while. In fact, my Pinterest boards are full of gardening tips and ideas, the only thing missing was my garden! Since we are renters, we are not able to do an in ground garden, so I started looking in to the next best thing. And honestly, I think the raised garden is the way to go! No more back-breaking laboring over your precious plants from your knees. Nope, they're right there at your fingertips! Bringing the garden up to my level is saving my knees and back from hours of laying on the couch with a heating pad or soaking in the tub to relieve my pains. (wait a minute, maybe this wasn't such a great idea...I love a good soak!)
After scouring the Internet for days (okay,a couple of hours) looking for the perfect plan, the BF and I decided to combine a few key elements we liked and make the raised bed our own. Off to Home Depot we went, shopping list in hand.
We had planned on making the flower bed out of cedar, but alas Home Depot was out of the size boards we needed for the project. So, we resorted to common boards instead and bought a good stain to help keep the boards from warping or rotting over time from the moisture.
We had planned on making the flower bed out of cedar, but alas Home Depot was out of the size boards we needed for the project. So, we resorted to common boards instead and bought a good stain to help keep the boards from warping or rotting over time from the moisture.
Materials
2- 4x4x8
5- 1x6x8
5- 1x4x8
Patio decking stain
Sheet of plastic
Potting soil (enough for about 10 cubic feet)
Plants of your choice
5- 1x6x8
5- 1x4x8
Patio decking stain
Sheet of plastic
Potting soil (enough for about 10 cubic feet)
Plants of your choice
We cut a 6x8 board to make the ends of the garden bed, measuring every 2 feet. After attaching the walls and posts, we created a small lip inside the walls for the 4x8 boards to lay inside as the garden bed floor. Once we laid the boards inside, we realized we would need to add some support and used some spare wood across in thirds to help support the weight of the garden. We also added a divider in the middle of the garden bed to help support the weight as well as separate the herbs from the flowers. Once the bed was complete, I got to work staining all of the wood that would come in contact with the soil. We also stapled down a sheet of thin plastic to keep the boards protected from water damage. (Be sure to cut holes into the plastic so the water can drain and you don't drown your plants!) |
Finally, the time came to fill that sucker up with dirt. We bought 6 of the biggest bags of potting soil we could find (each filled about 3 cubic feet) and I ended up using 4 of the bags. By the way, as a first time gardener, I didn't realize there was a difference between garden soil and potting soil. Make sure you get the potting soil for this project, as the garden soil is for in ground gardens and is to be mixed with your top soil. Who knew?
I chose to fill my garden with herbs and flowers. On one side, I planted dill, basil, cilantro, mint, lavender, and oregano. On the other, I wanted tall, colorful, big blooming flowers. I chose zinnias and dahlia, as well as a few marigolds for good measure.
Happy gardening!
the next DIY
I chose to fill my garden with herbs and flowers. On one side, I planted dill, basil, cilantro, mint, lavender, and oregano. On the other, I wanted tall, colorful, big blooming flowers. I chose zinnias and dahlia, as well as a few marigolds for good measure.
Happy gardening!
the next DIY