How to Build a Raised Wall Bed
- 1). Pick out a plot of land in your garden that gets a minimum of six hours of direct sun each day. Orient the garden in a north and south direction so it will receive as much sun as possible during the day. Plot your garden area with a measuring tape and mark the perimeter with a length of string so you will know where to begin construction on your raised wall garden. Start with a small area at first to gain experience; about 20 feet in length and around 4 feet in width. Use a shovel to dig a shallow trench where the string is to allow your border material to sit below ground level.
- 2). Choose pressure-treated lumber for your border rather than lumber that has been treated with creosote, because the creosote can leech into the soil and make it toxic to plants. Cut the boards, or have them cut at the store, to the lengths you need. Position the lumber boards into the trenches. Take a bubble-type level and make sure the boards are level and even. Reposition the boards if necessary by scooping soil into the trench to raise the boards or digging out a bit of soil to make them lie lower.
- 3). Make the walls of your raised bed taller by adding additional boards onto the first board. Secure each additional board with screws or nails. Add gardening soil inside the framework until you have the desired depth; 12 inches for root-type vegetables like beets, onions, radishes and carrots and about 10 inches for herbs.
- 4). Use a shovel or garden tiller to add organic compost or nitrogen-rich fertilizer to the soil as needed. Water your new raised wall garden a few days before planting so the soil and compost has a chance to settle and mix. Plant seeds to the depth suggested on the seed packet or plant seedlings to the depth the top of the soil was in the pot. Water the soil and keep it moist until the seeds germinate or the seedlings become established in the garden.
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