How to Build a Raised Vegetable Garden
By , This Old House television
Photo: Ask This Old House TV
- Time: 2 hours
- Cost: About $225
- Difficulty: Easy
Shopping & Tool Lists
- Supplies You Will Need:
- 1. One 8-foot length of 2x10 cedar
2. Two 10-foot lengths of 2x10 cedar
3. Two 10-foot lengths of 2x4 cedar
4. 3-inch deck screws
5. Garden soil
6. Compost
7. Starter fertilizer appropriate for vegetables
8. Vegetable seeds or seedlings
9. Grass clippings for mulch
- Tools You Will Need:
-
1. Jigsaw or circular saw
2. Drill/driver
3. Framing square
4. Edger or spade
5. Sod cutter or grub hoe
6. Pitchfork or rotary tiller
7. 4-foot level
8. Sledgehammer
9. Wheelbarrow
10. Reciprocating saw or handsaw
Introduction
Age Range: 6 and up
Here’s a great project for the budding gardener in your family. This Old House TV landscape contractor Roger Cook recently built a raised garden with a few young friends. It’s a simple frame of rot-resistant lumber that holds soil in place and brings it to a height that’s easy for everyone to reach without stepping onto precious plants—plus no more dirty knees (or at least fewer dirty knees).
Plant a vegetable patch in your new garden. Kids will have tons of fun caring for their seedlings as they mature. And what better reward is there for a garden well tended than a crisp carrot straight from the earth (washed, of course) or a nice ripe tomato right from the vine.