Beds from boards: how to do it yourself step by step, examples and diagrams

In recent years, the owners of summer cottages increasingly prefer high beds, thanks to which it is possible to harvest a larger crop than when growing crops in the usual way. To equip such a structure in the garden, different materials are used - from wood to plastic panels. Plank beds have their advantages and disadvantages, but today they are the most accessible and inexpensive material used by gardeners.

Suitable boards

The main requirement for wood to create beds is moisture resistance, so if you use the wrong material, the structure will quickly collapse.Preference is given to boards made of wood that are resistant to rotting processes, such as oak, larch, ash and hard acacia. They have a dense structure, thanks to which they are not afraid of moisture. If the gardener plans to install beds for one or two seasons, then it is quite possible to use spruce or pine.

In addition to the type of wood, it is also important to pay attention to the dimensions of the boards that are planned to be used to build the box. Their thickness should be at least 15-20 cm, and the softer the wood, the greater the thickness of the board used. This is necessary so that under the pressure of the soil and the influence of moisture, the material is not deformed.

If there are unnecessary wooden pallets left on the farm, they are dismantled and used to create a structure, in this case there is no need to spend money on purchasing material.

Pros and cons of such beds

Gardeners who have been using raised plank beds for growing crops for several seasons in a row have noted several advantages and disadvantages of this method.

They consider the following points to be pluses:

1. Low material cost. Unedged board construction will cost less than other materials.
2. Ease of installation. Even an inexperienced craftsman, following the instructions, will easily cope with the creation of a box for growing crops.
3. Sustainability. Since the material is completely natural, it will not harm crops.
4. Possibility of joint planting of vegetables in one place; such combined beds allow you to save time and labor when caring for plants and make the most of the available territory.
5. Stable shape. Thanks to the wooden frame, the earth from the beds does not crumble and does not spread in different directions after watering.
6. No weeds. If you cover the bottom of the bed with agrofibre, then you won’t have to deal with weeds, which will save the gardener’s time.
7. Ease of plant care. Agrotechnical procedures such as loosening, fertilizing and watering take much less time.

If we consider the disadvantages of the beds, for which boards were used, then they note the rapid destruction of the structure when choosing the wrong material and the absence of impregnation with water-repellent compounds.

Dimensions and drawings

Before you start creating a wooden box for the garden, you should decide on its size. First of all, they make a drawing on paper, where they indicate the location of the beds and the dimensions of the structure.The length of the beds can be any, it depends on the size of the plot and the availability of free space. Most often they make a box, the length of which varies from 2 to 3 meters. When determining the width, pay attention that it is convenient to take care of the plants in the garden on both sides, the optimal dimensions are from 1 to 1.8 meters. The height of the box is made from 30 to 40 cm.

If the length of the bed exceeds 3 meters, you will have to install additional supports for stability.

Required tools

After the gardener has decided on the size of the future structure, they proceed to the preparation of the tool that will be needed in the process of building the box from the boards.

Required:

• hammer and hacksaw;
• roulette and level;
• screwdriver, drill and a set of self-tapping screws for fastening;
• shovel and brush.

The details of the future design are also prepared in advance - 2 long and 2 short boards, 6 pieces of wooden posts from a bar that need to be sharpened on one side.

How to make beds from boards

When creating beds from boards, follow the step-by-step instructions. The process is slightly different for building low and high structures.

Low

Such structures are most often installed in greenhouses so that the soil does not spread after watering. Also, low beds are suitable for growing perennial crops, but only if the site has good fertile soil.

Scheme and dimensions

The height of the low bed varies from 15 to 20 cm, but it must be remembered that in this case it will not be possible to make a warm pillow for plants in it.When determining the length, they are guided by the free space on the site, as a rule, it does not exceed 3 meters for a similar design. You can arrange the beds both parallel to each other and in the form of rays.

Installation steps

When manufacturing and installing a wooden fence for a garden bed, follow the following step-by-step instructions:

1. All wooden elements are coated with a water-repellent compound and left to dry for a while. Some gardeners limit themselves to covering boards with lime, it contains less harmful components than impregnations.
2. When the structural elements are dry, proceed to attach the support bars to the boards. This is done with self-tapping screws. If the length of the box exceeds 2 meters, then support posts are screwed to the long boards every meter so that the structure is stable.
3. After that, the box is assembled by attaching a long board to the bars of two short ones. The second side is screwed in the same way, making sure that there are no gaps between the boards.
4. When the structure is assembled, it is transferred to the chosen place and installed by driving the sharp ends of the supporting bars into the ground. It is necessary to check the horizontalness of the installed structure using a level.

Filling the beds

Create a warm pillow for the rapid growth of plants in a low bed will not work because of the small height. A mesh is laid at the bottom and screwed to the boards, this will help prevent damage to the root system of plants by rodents. Agrofibre is spread on the net, and fertile soil is poured on top.

High

The original raised garden beds are used to grow root crops, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants. Thanks to several layers of organic matter, it is possible not only to get a crop faster, but also to increase its quantity. To create such a design with your own hands, it is enough to prepare a standard set of tools and cut the boards into fragments of the required length.The assembly process follows the same instructions as the boxes for low beds.

Typical mistakes

Beginner gardeners often make the same mistakes when creating beds from boards. This is, first of all, the choice of unsuitable material, which is destroyed after the first season of operation. It is better to overpay for boards once than to build a new structure every year.

Another mistake is to ignore the wood impregnation step. Since the boards are constantly exposed to moisture, without water-repellent compounds, the rotting process will quickly begin.

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