Building a 6-foot by 3-foot raised bed planter. Simple, but where to start?
My significant other asked for a raised-bed planter for a sunny spot in our yard. One of the few consolations of living through the summer in California's Central Valley is the joy of being able to grow really nice garden tomatoes and other veggie treats.
So I looked through my garden project books and scoured the Internet for some woodworking plans that were suitable. And I was a little surprised when I couldn't find any plans to fit the bill.
So I went to the drawing board and came up with my own design. Nothing tricky or innovative here -- just basic construction. I drew up and built this simple planter that was was attractive enough for the front yard, yet strong enough for a life of service that would be measured in decades, instead of just a few seasons.
No doubt many others have built planters similar to mine. But since decent plans, evidently, are pretty scarce, I decided to share my building plan online. The plan can easily be modified to build a longer or shorter version (such as 3' x 3' or 3' x 8') or a taller one.
Here's what my planter looks like, freshly stocked with new plants (a few weeks later, the plants are doing great and the first batch of red ripe tomatoes is now coming in!).
So I looked through my garden project books and scoured the Internet for some woodworking plans that were suitable. And I was a little surprised when I couldn't find any plans to fit the bill.
So I went to the drawing board and came up with my own design. Nothing tricky or innovative here -- just basic construction. I drew up and built this simple planter that was was attractive enough for the front yard, yet strong enough for a life of service that would be measured in decades, instead of just a few seasons.
No doubt many others have built planters similar to mine. But since decent plans, evidently, are pretty scarce, I decided to share my building plan online. The plan can easily be modified to build a longer or shorter version (such as 3' x 3' or 3' x 8') or a taller one.
Here's what my planter looks like, freshly stocked with new plants (a few weeks later, the plants are doing great and the first batch of red ripe tomatoes is now coming in!).
Steve's 6' x 3' planter
A solid redwood planter on legs, that will go just about anywhere and raise 18 square feet of gardening space to a comfortable height.
Construction is very straightforward.
I used redwood -- great stuff, but not cheap. You can use other rot-resistant lumber (but if you use pressure-treated wood, make sure it's certified safe for use with vegetables). The legs are 32" 4x4s. Those are 6-foot 2x6s screwed to the outside of the box's long side, and 3-foot 2x6s on the outside of the short ends. Mounted inside the legs, down low, are another pair of 6-foot 2x6s which support the floor planks. The "planks" are 6-foot fence pickets, cut in half. NOTE: I've just upgraded these plans to substitute 2X4s for the fence pickets. This is a cost difference of about $35, but it's money well spent towards extending the life of this planter.
I used 3 1/2" deck screws. On top of each leg post is a redwood fence post cap (they're optional -- another option to simply chamfer the top of each leg post with your circular saw). I went with the fence post caps to dress up this planter box a little bit.
To allow for drainage, the 2x4s that form the floor are spaced with a little gap in between them. On top of them goes a layer of about 3" of gravel, followed by a lining of landscape fabric, and then about 12" of soil.
Cost? The lumber and hardware set me back about $230. That might sound pretty expensive, but I don't think you will find a commercially made planter this well-built or this big for this price (especially in redwood!). I know, because I tried. Using thick lumber joined with deck screws ensures a planter that is better-built than the ones you can get from the big box stores. Theirs look good when new, but will probably start to warp and deconstruct after just a few seasons. Yours and mine should be built to grow tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers and flowers for years to come.
Put this planter box in your front yard, and you'll get compliments from jealous neighbors.
I used redwood -- great stuff, but not cheap. You can use other rot-resistant lumber (but if you use pressure-treated wood, make sure it's certified safe for use with vegetables). The legs are 32" 4x4s. Those are 6-foot 2x6s screwed to the outside of the box's long side, and 3-foot 2x6s on the outside of the short ends. Mounted inside the legs, down low, are another pair of 6-foot 2x6s which support the floor planks. The "planks" are 6-foot fence pickets, cut in half. NOTE: I've just upgraded these plans to substitute 2X4s for the fence pickets. This is a cost difference of about $35, but it's money well spent towards extending the life of this planter.
I used 3 1/2" deck screws. On top of each leg post is a redwood fence post cap (they're optional -- another option to simply chamfer the top of each leg post with your circular saw). I went with the fence post caps to dress up this planter box a little bit.
To allow for drainage, the 2x4s that form the floor are spaced with a little gap in between them. On top of them goes a layer of about 3" of gravel, followed by a lining of landscape fabric, and then about 12" of soil.
Cost? The lumber and hardware set me back about $230. That might sound pretty expensive, but I don't think you will find a commercially made planter this well-built or this big for this price (especially in redwood!). I know, because I tried. Using thick lumber joined with deck screws ensures a planter that is better-built than the ones you can get from the big box stores. Theirs look good when new, but will probably start to warp and deconstruct after just a few seasons. Yours and mine should be built to grow tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers and flowers for years to come.
Put this planter box in your front yard, and you'll get compliments from jealous neighbors.
YES, YOU CAN BUILD THIS PROJECT:
Said one person on our Facebook page who downloaded our planter box plan:
"Just bought/downloaded info. Seems very easy
and straightforward. . . even I can do it!"
(Our Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/StevesPlanterBoxPlan)
"Just bought/downloaded info. Seems very easy
and straightforward. . . even I can do it!"
(Our Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/StevesPlanterBoxPlan)
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There! The info on this page may be more than enough guidance for many of you to build this exact same planter. Or maybe you want to borrow some of the ideas here, and riff on them to create your own design. But if you want a little more help, you can download a 9-page PDF file that gives you more details. On it, there's a shopping list, instructions, construction photos and a sketch, along with a few notes on finishing your planter and accessorizing it. The plans also include suggestions on how to modify this design to build a 3' x 8' planter, a 3' X 3' planter, or a taller version. The fee for the plans is $1.99 -- the price of a cup of coffee. You can buy it through PayPal for security, and you can have the plans in about a minute! The downloadable plan should be a lot of help for an inexperienced builder. The plan may be worth buying for the more experienced builder as well -- it may easily save you $1.99 worth of your time or a few dollars in wasted construction materials. -- STEVE, Bristol Partners All rights reserved -- Copyright Bristol Partners 2012 |
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