While many people are stuck at home, home improvement stores are seeing more people coming in, wanting to work on do-it-yourself projects.
Curtis Lumber in Ballston Spa says right now, their most requested project is for raised garden beds. They say the project is quick, inexpensive and easy. There's no required digging for a garden, or worrying about the soil, and they can be placed just about anywhere with adequate sunlight, irrigation and drainage and made to fit any space.
Elmer Manzer, the store's facility coordinator, says this is a great spring project, as people have been coming in to get supplies for yard work for weeks now.
“With the early break in the weather, people are getting a head start on getting that cleaned up, so it makes this raised garden bed project kind of perfect in the timeline, because once everything's all freshened up and in place, now you can put this together and start your planting,” said Manzer.
To keep people safe, Curtis Lumber has shortened store hours and is offering curbside pickup and delivery.
Tips:
- You should use untreated wood.
- Southern yellow pine is suggested for this project and is a less expensive wood, which was used in making the bed shown.
- Southern yellow pine should be treated with Tung Oil to prevent rot, which is FDA approved as food safe. Other stains and oils could contaminate your soil and vegetables.
- You can also choose to build this bed with cedar, which does not need to be treated with Tung Oil and does not rot, but is more expensive.
- Keep garden beds away from pine trees, as acid from pine needles can ruin your crop.
- The instructions below include extra material -- the 4" x 4" Douglas Fir posts can be cut longer than 11 1/4" inches to raise your bed off the ground, but you will need to staple landscaping mesh taught around the entire bottom of the bed to hold soil and crops.
Watch Elmer Manzer of Curtis Lumber make this garden bed:
Click here: 8' x 4' Raised Garden Bed by Curtis Lumber
Prep
Measure all lengths twice before cutting
Materials
- 3 8-foot, 2" x 12" untreated Southern Yellow Pine boards
- 1 8-foot, 4" x 4" KD Douglas Fir post
Hardware
- 1 pound box of 3" tan deck screws
- 2 rolls of hardware cloth
- 1 pint of Tung Oil finish (optional)
- Staples
- Drill
- Impact Driver (optional)
- Saw
- Staple gun
- Measuring tape
- Pre-Drill bit (3/32") +/-
- Pencil
- Square
- Protective clothing
- Protective eyewear