Building a Raised Bed

Inspired by the incredible Heirloom Garden plan from Beekman 1802 , I decided it was time to start a raised bed garden. Along with looking very tidy (Mrs. W mostly enjoys this aspect) raised beds are much more productive than gardening directly in the ground. They warm up faster in the spring, they allow for much more uniform soil, and allow one to plan much more densely than in a traditional garden (because you don't have to leave room for a tractor or person to get through between rows for weeding and harvesting) space thereby increasing productivity per square foot.





I'd like to build several for this year's garden, however, I've only built one so far. 4 feet wide, 6 feet long and 1.5 feet tall. I used pressure treated lumber from Lowes, but plan to line the inside with heavy plastic to make sure no chemicals leak out into the soil.

For the soil, I've found what appears to be a good recipe on http://www.squarefootgarden.com/. 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite. I think this mix will be very soft and good for veggies.