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Lumber

• 8 boards 2”x6”x 8ft Cedar 
• 2”x4”x 8ft Pressure 
• 1 board 4”x4” x 8ft Pressure Treated 

Supplies

• Structural Screws
• Deck Screws
• Wood Preservative
• Drill
• Drill Bit
• Square
• Saw

Cut List

2×6

6 @ 8ft 

6 @ 2ft

2×4 (support pieces)

6 @ 14.5”

4×4 (corner braces)

4 @ 14.5”

Directions

1. Start by staining your wood with a wood preservative. Let dry completely.

2. We will first build our long sides. Take 3 of the 8 ft Cedar boards. Lay them out on a flat surface. I used saw horses. Put the side you want on the inside of your planter facing up. 

3. Clamp your 3 boards together so they don’t move. Make sure one end of the boards are lined up together. 

4. Mark your boards at 8ft and trim off any excess with a saw. 

5. Make a mark at the top of your cedar board at 2ft, 4ft, and 6ft. We are going to place our support pieces here. 

6. Take the 2x4s and set them on the marks you just made. Line up the bottom of your 2×4 with the bottom of your side. Screw each 2×4 on. I used 6 deck screws per 2×4. 

7. Now we are going to put on our corner 4×4. Flip over your side. Keep your clamps on. 

8. Next we are going to pre drill the cedar for our structural screws. This will prevent cracking of the wood. 

9. We will have 2 structural screws per cedar board, per end. I pre drilled 2.5” in from the short edge, and 1.5” in from each long edge. I used my square to mark my holes, this kept everything straight. 

10. Start your screws, but don’t have them go all the way in. You should have 12 screws total started for your first side. 

11. Flip your side back over so you are looking at the inside. Place your 4×4 on the end. Center from the long ends. We are going to drill in the two end screws to the 4x4s. 

12. Flip the side back over to make it easier to drill in the rest of the screws. 

13. Make a second side exactly like the first side. 

14. Once you have both long sides complete we are going to start on the short sides. 
15. We need 6 cedar boards cut to 24”. I used a circular saw, but you can also use a miter saw or saw of your choice. 

16. Mark holes to pre-drill for the structural screws. We are going to mark at the same spot we did for the long sides. Each 24” board is going to need 4 screws. These will be screwed into the 4×4. Mark at 2.5” in from the short edge, and 1.5” in from each long edge. Pre-drill each hole.

17. Start your screws so it’s easier to assemble. Do not let your screws go in all the way. 

18. Line up your long sides so you can screw your 24” boards into them. 

19. Screw the 24” boards into the 4×4 starting at the bottom and working your way towards the top. Keep the long sides up and make sure everything stays square as you are assembling.  

20. Apply more wood preservative to the ends you cut. This will help the raised bed last longer.

21. Grab a second pair of hands to move the raised bed to a place of your choosing! 

Happy Gardening!

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