I love this idea, just one question though, shouldn't there be drain holes for the water?

Great! I will make some. I love the elevated idea and the ease of construction.

my husband and I created some several years ago. although ours are waist high. keeps from bending over so much. we now only put containers in them. eventually the bottom will rot from the dirt and water. a lesson we learned with our first one.

Hi Anna, great question. Because the bottom slats are fitted very loosely there is plenty of space and ability for drainage. From experience, water will generally find it's way through wood even if butted together. For these veggie boxes, you can leave as large as a 1" gap between slats - whatever works best for the materials you have on hand.

I would like to make one or two!! Is it safe to use pressure treated lumber that I can buy at Home Depot ? thank you!!

Thank you for a little glimpse of home , I miss Capistrano - XOXO

Hi Evan,

I made 3 similar veggie boxes last year, each one about 3' x 4'. I left 1/2" between the bottom boards for drainage and lined them with garden cloth (black, porous). Then I filled them with a nice mix of dirt and compost and planted my seeds/seedlings. The boxes got plenty of sunlight and I watered them regularly. The result was disappointing. Most of the plants suffered from mold and their yield was tiny in comparison to what I've achieved with raised beds that sit directly on the ground. Was it a drainage problem? My neighbor thought so. He recommended that this summer I add lots of vermiculite to the mixture. I live in the Northeast. What would you advise?

Katina

If you don't screw in the bottom slats, then when they start to rot you can just pull them out easily and replace them. The sides and legs should last a couple of seasons longer than the bottoms!

Using (coated-for-exterior-use) pocket screws adds to structural integrity as well as aesthetics. Sure, it may add a few minutes more of labor, but it's worth it in terms of having a stronger box with hidden screws. -Derrick

Love this idea! I had to give up a traditional garden due to back issues. I think I'll attach casters on the leg bottoms to make it easily moveable on my deck. I like the idea of allowing some gap between the bottom boards, and putting down landscape paper before filling it. Thanks for the video!

what about lining it with plastic and putting drainage holes through the wood and plastic at the same location?

I was also wondering about drainage. How about,,.... leaving some space between the boards.. .like 1/4 inch... and landscape fabric or....the plastic and punch holes in the plastic?

great idea so simple as a back sufferer will be ideal

This made my day.

Great project. It's best to use chemical-free wood for these projects. Treated wood can degrade your soil and creep into you crops.

Thank you Evan =)

This is a great way to keep my dogs out of my veggies. I will be building some of these.

I came back to make that comment about the pressure treated wood as the PRO said. The phone rang but I woke up thinking about someone launching a way to eat healthier only to plant in a box with toxins that leach into the produce.
Happy this is been addressed.

On the West Coast, we use Redwood specifically because it lasts for years, is a very renewable resource, easy to work with and beautiful. Cedar might be a better alternative on the East Coast.

With the right wood selection, there's no need to line the beds with plastic or landscape fabric. Plastic becomes a maintenance issue as well as potentially unwanted habitat for pests. Not to mention it may heat up in direct sun.

Landscape fabric really wouldn't protect the wood, if that was the idea.

My recommendation is to keep it simple and elegant. Enjoy!

We built 2 veggie/flower boxes that were lined with metal, possibly mesh on the bottom. They have lasted 10 years and the metal keeps the wood from rotting. We left the big one at our old house when we moved, but took the 6 foot one with us to our new place. The metal solves the rot issues, the height solves back issues.

So, I clicked on this article because of veggie part, not the box part. I have a handle on that (and in fact, would add handles to the sides to help with carrying). It is the veggie part I struggle with. I have never had any luck growing anything. Would this be big enough for one kind of vegetable only or could I try to mix a few different things? Is there an article to go with this one about what to do with the box after you have built it?

i wish i had a chop saw!

cozarth - You can grow a mixture of leafy greens, onions and herbs. You can also grow a vegetable, like tomato or cucumber, and would have to add a trellis. Success in growing your own organic food depends on a few factors. Here is a link to one of our articles about planning your organic food growing adventure: How to Design An Organic Vegetable Garden

nice

cozarth, in addition to the great tips from The Ecology Center, here's a related story from the Gardening section on Houzz that should help: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/60845108/list/seeds-or-seedlings-how-to-get-your-garden-started

You can also add wheels to the bottom of the legs so it can roll around easily... catch the sun....

Also... if you don't have a chop saw try asking someone at the store where you buy the wood if they could cut it for you. they just might.

My husband was recently inspired to make a planter box for me. I haven't decided what to put in it yet because I realized that at only 6" deep I'd have to only put shallow rooted plants in it. I talked to my master gardener grandmother & so far all I can come up with is lettuce, onions, and peppers (I have lots of herbs in pots already).

Now we're thinking about adding another 6" so it will be 12" deep. Maybe that will broaden my planting options?

To kinmokusei ....I think pressure treated wood has a chemical that is cancer causing ....if not sealed ...it's called CCA ....? Better check it out ....

Here I found something about pressure treated wood on the Internet . I hope this helps .
"The EPA is mainly concerned with the levels of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in pressure-treated lumber, as the arsenate in CCA is a type of arsenic, which is a carcinogenic. The arsenic levels in the wood have been shown to have a negative health effect on people in extended contact with the wood, or for example, when children touch the wood in play areas and then put their hands into their mouths. The industry withdrew CCA from almost all residential uses in 2003. By 2004, the CCA pressure-treated wood was phased out, and is no longer available to general consumers. Several alternative coatings were developed to replace CCA, including some using a copper base. Although CCA has been banned for residential use, it is still in use for some industrial and agricultural purposes."

Boy, I miss the word vegetable.

Small Garden

great idea, so beautiful...go green brow....

awesome

Made this for my elderly mother. Great little herb garden at chair height. About to make one for her sister.

I want some ideas for a small flower, plant bed along our front door walkway and up against our garage wall? Any ideas?

Great video!!

This is a nice idea, however I live in an apartment and didn't have a space to do all this. Inspired on this I did some online research and ended up buying a Noocity grow bed from cityfoodproducts.com, I liked that had a water tank and supposedly I don't need to water it for weeks! Instructions were not the best but it was pretty easy anyway, no tools were required so I was done in just a few minutes. Now just waiting for the first sprouts!

Thanks for the video!