Raised garden beds are popular, practical, and relatively easy to build. Their simple construction can be customized to fit into any landscape, and they are an ideal way to grow vegetables, flowers, or herbs. A cost-saving alternative to Cedar, treated-wood products work very well when constructing raised bed gardens.
Raised beds offer many benefits and advantages for gardeners:
- Improved drainage
- Easier to improve soil quality
- Easier weed control
- Easier to water
- Fewer pests and rodents
- Less physical strain for the gardener
- Improved accessibility for elderly, disabled, or individuals with physical limitations
TIP #1:
If there’s a concern about vegetation coming in contact with treated wood, a liner can be used but is not required.
TIP #2:
Orient embedded support columns so only treated ends are in ground
contact.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR BUILDING
A RAISED GARDEN BED
Materials List for Raised Garden Bed:
- (6) 2″ x 8″ x 8′ Pressure-treated boards
- (1) 4″ x 4″ x 8′ Pressure-treated post
- (1) Box of 3″ — #8 Galvanized all-purpose screws
Building Steps:
- Use 4 single 8′ 2x8s for the long sides of the bed. Drill pilot holes in both ends of the two side pieces when they will connect to the ends of the other two side pieces.
- Cut four lengths of 2×8 at 48″ for the sides. (You should be able to do with a single 8′ board.) Drill pilot holes in both ends of these pieces as well.
- Connect the sides with 3″ deck screws.
- Attach a piece of landscape fabric to the bottom edges using galvanized staples. Leave some slack in the fabric, allowing that the weight of the soil with stretch the fabric.
- Add soil and start planting!
Download Instructions for Your Raised Garden Bed Here —Raised Bed Instructions
Q: I am considering using some 2x6 inch material for a small raised bed for strawberries. My first thought was to consider pressure treated lumber, but I have read conflicting articles on the the safety of this product, with the chemicals possibly reaching the plants. Others claim this doesn't happen and the
lumber is safe. I would appreciate your opinion on this matter. A: The safety of pressure treated lumber for raised bed gardens has been examined by several researchers. From what I've seen, the consensus is that the chemicals do leach out of the wood into the soil and are uptaken by the plants in very small amounts. However, I haven't seen any research that suggests the level of the chemicals is significant enough to be of concern for human
health. Of course, the primary concern with using pressure treated wood in raised-bed gardens has been with the arsenic in CCA- (chromated copper arsenate) treated wood. This publication from Pennsylvania State University does a good job describing the risks of using both CCA-treated wood as well as ACQ-treated wood: Environmental Soil Issues: Garden Use of Treated Lumber. With
regards to CCA, they state, "Although the plant and human health risks from garden uses of CCA-treated lumber appear to be extremely small, there are steps gardeners can take to further reduce any such risks." One of the steps they recommend is to use wood treated with ACQ - "This is an alternative wood-treatment chemical that contains no arsenic, chromium, or any other chemical considered toxic by the EPA."
If you are shopping for treated lumber nowadays, I don't think you'll find CCA-treated material in the home centers anyway since its use was restricted by the EPA in 2004. It will be more likely be ACQ or some other chemical.
Related content
How to Build Your Own Raised-Bed Cloche
Lists materials needed to build a cloche, then provides step-by-step instructions for building. Includes color photographs with close-up inserts to show the building process. Want to learn more? Take our online class! Have you ever...
Sam Angima | Aug 2008 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)
Want to learn more about this topic? Explore more resources from OSU Extension: Gardening Techniques
Was this page helpful?
Welcome to the Microgreens Grow Along workshop hosted by Oregon State University Extension and Food Hero. This is a bilingual (English & Spanish) online workshop for beginners. Follow the daily lessons and in two weeks you'll be enjoying tasty
microgreens. Brooke Edmunds, Joyce Senior Angulo | Project Peer reviewed (Gray level)Related Content from OSU Extension
Microgreens Grow Along
GROWING
GROWING is a joint publication by Linn and Benton County OSU Extension services, and is published by the Albany Democrat Herald. GROWING is published every other month (January, March, May, July, September, and November).
Newsletter
Pruning with the Pros - Tools of the Trade
A selection of tools that are needed for proper tree pruning in the landscape. With Oregon State University Extension’s Nicole Sanchez and certified arborists John Bellon and Tom Ford.
Feb 2022 | Video
Pruning with the Pros - Introduction
In an ideal world, trees have been well pruned since planting, and only occasional maintenance pruning is needed. In reality, we often inherit mature trees in need of corrective pruning in order to serve their best function ...
Feb 2022 | Video
Pruning with the pros
This video series covers a variety of pruning challenges associated with older trees and mature landscapes. Pruning of mature trees that have not seen ideal care in the past can present unique challenges. In these clips, tree ...
Nicole Sanchez | Feb 2022 | Collection
Some garden myths and what science has to say
From the myth of collapsing root balls to the myth of compost tea - learn the facts about a range of tips you may have heard through the years about healthy soil, pretty mulch, and more.
Feb 2014 | Article
Have a question? Ask an Expert!
Ask an Expert is a way for you to get answers from the Oregon State University Extension Service. We have experts in family and health, community development, food and agriculture, coastal issues, forestry, programs for young people, and gardening.