Gardening has reached new heights as a favorite pastime, and more gardeners are discovering that raised beds make it easier. What’s not to like about bringing plants to a higher level so you don’t have to bend down and work on your knees? You can grow flowers, herbs and vegetables and work the soil while sitting on a ledge — a major plus for anyone with a bad back or not-so-bendable knees. And you can design and locate the raised garden bed where the growing conditions are best.
A variety of raised bed systems are sold at lawn and garden centers, in gardening catalogs and online, where we found several at www.eartheasy.com. Wherever you shop, you’ll find raised garden beds made of cedar, recycled plastic or composite material with a system of timbers that connect with anchor joints and screws.
Walk around your yard and find level ground and the best growing conditions for your plants. To assemble read the instructions for the system you chose and follow them. The systems are often made of timbers that fit into joints secured by screws anchored in the ground. A power drill is useful to drive the screws into the timbers and joints.
Expect to pay $520 for a 2-foot-high, 4-foot-by-4-foot raised bed made of recycled material, including the soil, fertilizer and plants. Shipping costs are additional if you buy the raised bed online. To have a handy man or landscape service assemble it, fill it with soil, amend the soil and plant it, figure an additional $105.
To find more DIY project costs and to post comments and questions, visit www.diyornot.com.
Pro Cost — DIY Cost — Pro time — DIY Time — DIY Savings — Percent Saved
$625 — $520 — 3.8 — 7.5 — $105 — 17%
©2021 Gene and Katie Hamilton. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
