It is almost Mother’s Day, and that means you can begin to think about planting things in a garden. A raised bed planter is a great way to grow vegetables or even just beautiful plants to look at. These cedar raised bed garden planters are easy to DIY.
Materials for the Raised Bed
Cedar is naturally a rot resistant material and so it makes a great choice for your garden planter. In order to build this 5′ long x 3′ wide x14.5″ tall raised bed, you will need the following items:
- (4) 1x8x8′ cedar boards
- (1) 4x4x8′ cedar post
- (48) 2″ exterior wood screws
If cedar is not available, there are other choices too such as composite decking. Pine lumber can be used but it needs to have a water resistant finish applied (before assembly) or it won’t last long. It is not recommended to use treated lumber unless this is only for a flower garden.
Tools Needed
I used my miter saw to cut all of the pieces, but even a hand saw can make it through cedar easily. You will also need a drill and a drill bit. Cedar is a very soft wood and you want to make sure to drill pilot holes. This is so that screwing the board to the post doesn’t split the board. Depending on your choice of screws, you will need a screwdriver or whatever driving bit for your drill that matches the screw head.
Parts List
There are only a few parts to this garden planter.
- (4) 3′ short boards
- (4) 5′ long boards
- (6) 14.5″ tall posts
Each of the 1x8x8′ boards gets cut once to make a 3′ short board and a 5′ long board. Cut the 4x4x8′ into the six 14.5″ long posts.
Assembly of the Raised Bed
I took the time to plane and sand off all the sharp edges on all the boards and posts but this is not necessary. Drill a pair of holes near the ends and in the middle of each board. The holes at the end should be about 2″ from all of the edges to help make sure that the cedar wood won’t split. Screw the boards to all the posts and you’re done.
Notes
If you’re not the DIY type and live in and around Indianapolis, IN I can build these for you and deliver them. Just contact me via email, DM on Instagram or Facebook.
This is my post about the planters on Instagram: Cedar Planter
This is my post about the planters on Facebook: Cedar Planter