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The use of raised beds is important for summer cottages with frequent flooding and poor soil. However, even in the absence of these reasons, an earthen embankment fenced with sides can increase productivity and also simplify plant care. Fences are made from any scrap materialsavailable on the farm. Due to environmental friendliness, it is best to make wooden DIY beds, which is what we will do now.
Pros and cons of raised beds with wooden sides
By making raised beds from boards in the yard or any part of the garden, the vegetable grower receives the following benefits:
- Wooden fences make garden beds easy to maintain. Weeding, watering, and harvesting are simplified.
- In areas unsuitable for farming, fenced embankments from boards are made with purchased fertile soil. You can also prepare nutritious soil yourself. The technology makes it possible to obtain good harvests even where vegetation cannot grow in principle, for example, on stone.
- Thanks to the fencing made of bulk boards priming does not spread. It is easier to attach arcs to the sides to tension the greenhouse than to install them directly into the ground.
- Boards are an inexpensive material that is easy to process. The wood is not heated strongly by the sun, which saves the root system of plants from burns.
- Wooden fencing is environmentally friendly. The vegetable grower does not have to worry about contamination of the soil with harmful substances, as is the case with asbestos-cement slate.
In addition to the benefits of high beds made of boards, there is an aesthetic side to the use of this technology. Country gardening takes on a well-groomed appearance. Each crop grows in its own bed without weeds. Hard-surfaced paths are laid around the board fences, which provides easy access to maintenance even after rain. There will never be dirt around the beds.
If we touch on the shortcomings of the technology, we can only highlight the short service life of wooden sides. The boards are susceptible to rapid rotting in the ground, and nothing can be done about it. At best, wooden sides will last for 5 years. Gardeners, trying to increase the life of the fence, treat the boards with paint or antiseptic impregnations.
Selecting boards for the box
Make wooden beds can be made from any preparations available on the farm. The materials used are timber, clapboard, slab and round timber. But when the question is about purchasing material, it is important to pay attention to what types of wood the boards are made of:
- A fence made from oak or ash boards will last a long time. The cost, of course, of such material will hit the gardener hard.
- Pine is advantageous in terms of processing and low cost. As for the service life, pine boards rot very quickly in the ground.You can extend the life of such a fence by a couple of years using impregnation treatment.
- If you are lucky enough to buy larch or cedar boards, this will be the best material for building sides. Larch wood is so impregnated with resin that without additional treatment it will lie in the ground for many years. Cedar boards are less resinous, but will last a similar long time, plus their cost is low.
- Acacia boards are preserved well in the ground. However, wood has a very hard structure. To process the boards you will need a powerful power tool.
It is worth noting that you should not skimp on the quality of the boards. Bad wood will quickly rot, and after 2-3 years the sides of the bed will be covered with holes, from which soil will be washed away by rain.
Calculating the size of the fence made of boards
The photo shows that fences made of boards are made rectangular. Wood is not a flexible material for making curved shapes. The only thing you need is to correctly calculate the dimensions of the wooden box. The convenience of caring for the garden bed depends on this.
When making a box, the following dimensions are adhered to:
- One of the important parameters of the bed is the height. There is a misconception among gardeners who think according to the principle, the higher the better. High sides up to 70 cm are relevant only for the “warm bed” technology, where multi-layer filling takes place. For simple raised beds, a side height of 15–20 cm above ground level is sufficient. It is unprofitable to make high sides due to the unnecessary consumption of boards. In addition, in winter the soil inside the fence will freeze, which is accompanied by its expansion. This will cause the high sides to swell or tilt and take on an unsightly curved shape.
- The ease of use depends on the width of the wooden box. Experienced vegetable growers arrange the width of any bed equal to half their height. Typically, this parameter is kept within the range of 90–120 cm. When processing the bed, a person must reach the middle on each side of the side board.
Length is the only parameter that has no limitation. It all depends on the location of the bed. Although a box that is too long weakens the rigidity of the side sides. The boards will bow outward over time. It is optimal to stay at a length of 4 to 6 m.
How to protect wood from rotting
Even boards made from the best wood species require protection from moisture. This will determine how long the structure will last. However, wood protection should not be undertaken at the expense of soil contamination. The cheapest and most accessible way to protect boards from rotting is to treat them with a thick solution of lime. The best results are shown by harmless impregnations, for example, the drug “Senezh”.
Wood varnish or oil-based paint provides serious protection. The non-toxic coating is harmless to plants and soil. The only caveat is that when painting the boards, you cannot touch their ends. These areas will allow the wood to breathe, removing moisture. If the ends of the boards are painted, they will rot faster than unpainted ones.
How many boxes do you need to make?
The number of beds depends on the area of the dacha plot, the number of crops grown and personal preferences. However, if space allows, it is advisable to make one spare box for compost. The fence will remain empty all summer.The soil is not filled inside, but all organic waste is dumped. Only after the box is completely filled with organic matter is a layer of soil poured on top, and green manure is sown. Most often they prefer mustard, but you can sow peas.
After overwintering, the spare bed will turn into an ideal area with nutritious soil for planting cucumbers or tomatoes. You just need to loosen the soil before planting crops. A new spare bed is made from a neighboring box where garden crops grew last year. The use of this technology allows you to get rid of the separate arrangement of the compost heap.
The procedure for making a bed from boards
So, we are slowly approaching the moment when we need to consider how to make beds from boards on your summer cottage.
Let's get started with the work:
- In the area allocated for the garden bed, the turf is removed according to the size of the future box. The first row of boards is installed on its side in the hole around the perimeter. To ensure that the structure has an aesthetic appearance, the workpieces are leveled. You can level it by placing pieces of wood or stone under the boards.
- Using a tape measure or construction cord, measure the diagonals of the box between opposite corners. They achieve the same distance, after which they begin to connect the boards at the corners of the box. They are twisted with self-tapping screws. Additionally, it can be reinforced with overhead metal corners.
- After making the first row of the box, the second row is built up. At the corners, the workpieces are connected similarly with self-tapping screws, after which both rows are sewn together with metal strips or wooden slats. This procedure is continued until the required side height is obtained.
- When the wooden fence is completely ready, the bottom of the pit is covered with geotextile fabric.The fabric prevents weed roots and infections from the underlying soil from penetrating the bed.
- The canvas is stapled to the sides and the drainage embankment begins. Any small stone will do. Fertile soil is poured on top of the drainage 3 cm below the top edge of the box. Now you can plant the plants and sprinkle mulch on top of the soil.
It remains to organize paths around the installed beds. You can leave the lawn grass or make a hard surface, for example, from paving slabs.
In the video you can see the making of a universal bed:
We looked at how to make a bed from boards with your own hands, as well as all the nuances of the preparatory work. We hope our tips will help summer residents organize their plot.
this is good, but better and more durable than a bed of flat slate 50 centimeters high
Slate, rubber, many synthetic substances are harmful due to their evaporation.
A very interesting and informative article. Author, tell me: what are the parameters of the boards in the 5th picture above for a bed in two rows to form one such box?
Hello! It is advisable to take boards with a cross-section of at least 25x150 mm.