• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Designing a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

February 27, 2014 by Jeanne

 
Yesterday, we talked about how to plan a raised bed vegetable garden. I shared with you some basic tips for choosing a location for your new garden. Today, let’s talk about the overall design of a raised bed garden.

Raised Beds and Paths

Most raised bed gardens consist of rectangular or square-shaped raised bed with access pathways running in between the beds. How many garden beds you include in your raised bed vegetable garden plan depends on many factors.
How much time do you want to devote to your garden? What vegetables do you want to grow?
Take a few minutes to jot down a list of everything you’ve dreamed of growing to get an idea of how much space you might need. Keep in mind that some crops, such as cucumbers, squash, peas and beans, can be grown up rather than across the ground, thus saving space. Trellises, staked netting and other supports can be placed over a raised bed to provide vines with ample space to climb vertically rather than trail across the ground. Other crops, such as pumpkins, watermelon and other large melons do need space to spread out, not to mention plenty of water. Once you know what you’d like to grow, you can better plan the space requirements.

 

Constructing Raised Beds

This is a picture of my own vegetable garden raised beds during construction. We used untreated lumber for three of the beds and treated on the remainder of the beds. What’s the difference? 

 

 

Pressure Treated Wood for Gardens
Pressure-treated wood is lumber that has been treated with chemical preservatives to help it resist rot and insect damage. It last longer, but organic gardeners tend to shun it because of the fear that chemicals leach from the lumber into the soil over time. Although opinion varies about its use in an organic garden, a true certified organic garden cannot use pressure-treated wood. My own research shows that the risk of chemicals leaking into the soil is minimal, and that root crops grown near the edges of such beds are more susceptible to taking up any chemicals than other types of crops. From my research, I decided that the beds used to grow root crops would be made from untreated lumber; treated lumber was fashioned into the other beds. Overall, this was a sound decision for me. For more on the subject, Fine Gardening offers an insightful look at the differences between the two types of lumber and the choice to use one or the other.

 

Measurements for Raised Beds
We made our garden beds from three 8′ long boards approximately 8″ high by 2″ wide. One board was cut into two sections to form the short ends of the rectangles. My husband used the power drill to insert screws into the ends, and we stapled landscape fabric over the bottom of the frame.  We then flipped the frame over so that the landscape fabric covered the grass, preventing it from growing. A mixture of rich, organic soil and compost from the local paper mill was added to each bed, along with composted cow manure, peat moss and lime.
The treated lumber beds are now on year six in the garden and are fine. The untreated beds began decaying last year.  We’ve replaced one and have another to replace. The lumber along the sides rots, splits, and eventually splinters into sawdust and chips as nature’s scavengers – mold, rot and insects – devour it. My husband is looking into protective paint for the untreated beds to seal the wood and make it less permeable.

 

Planning the Pathways
When you’re planning a raised bed vegetable garden, leave at least three feet between the beds. This gives you enough room to maneuver a wheelbarrow or other equipment in and out of the garden.  
I have also written a book on raised bed gardens. Click the link below to read excerpts, reviews and to order from Amazon.
Plan and Build a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden walks you through site selection, building a simple raised bed, soil for raised bed gardens, pathway construction and more.

Filed Under: Raised Bed Gardening

Previous Post: « How to Plan a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden
Next Post: Pathways for a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. How to Plant Tomatoes | Home and Garden Joy says:
    August 12, 2014 at

    […] helps prevent a lot of problems before they start. They’ll grow just fine in containers, raised bed gardens, or garden beds. Add plenty of compost and well-aged manure to the soil and mix it in before […]

  2. How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds - Home and Garden Joy says:
    December 4, 2014 at

    […] Designing a Vegetable Garden […]

  3. How to Plan a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden - Home and Garden Joy says:
    December 4, 2014 at

    […] Designing a Raised Bed Garden […]

  4. Steps to Build a Raised Vegetable Garden Bed - Home and Garden Joy says:
    February 3, 2016 at

    […] in the vegetable garden that collapsed over the winter.  You may recall from my previous posts on raised bed vegetable gardening that our garden contains three beds built from untreated lumber, and the remaining beds built from […]

  5. 18 Raised Garden Bed Ideas & Inspirations * My Stay At Home Adventures says:
    May 3, 2017 at

    […] There are so many great tips at Home Garden Joy on the best way to design your raised garden beds. […]

  6. Raised Bed Vegetable Garden | Ecoskin.co says:
    August 21, 2017 at

    […] source – Designing A Raised Bed Vegetable Garden Home Garden Joy Elegant Raised Bed Vegetable Garden […]

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • Growing Eggplant: A Guide for Gardeners
  • Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts
  • Free eBook on Herbal Safety

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

a tea pot, cup and saucer with mint leaves on the saucer

Free eBook on Herbal Safety

The Herbal Academy is offering a free ebook on herbal safety! I just sent an email out to our Home Garden Joy community and downloaded my copy and WOW – not only is it chock-full of information, it’s beautiful to look at, too. And free. Did I mention free? Learn More About Using Herbs –…

Read More

a closeup of watermelon

Watermelon in the Home Garden

Growing watermelon in the home garden is not for the faint of heart. I have plenty of room, and it still threatened to take over the garden. You will either need to leave a lot of room for the sprawling vines or look for varieties specifically marked for containers. Growing it on a trellis is…

Read More

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

Growing zucchini in raised beds ensures that this prolific vegetable has the best conditions to thrive. You can grow zucchini in pots or containers, but I prefer growing it in raised beds. This is a great vegetable to grow if you have a “black thumb” and kill plastic plants, because it’s hard to grow a…

Read More

a close up of onions

How to Grow Onions in Your Backyard

Wondering how to grow onions? I’ve grown onions here at Seven Oaks Farm in several ways: from “sets” or starter plants and from store-bought onions that sprouted in the bag! Onions don’t require much space, and you can grow a lot for the money you spend on starter plants. Let’s take a look at how…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme