Projects / Raised garden bed plans / 2 × 8 ft
2×8 ft raised garden bed
A 2-by-8-foot bed with 2×6 sides and 2×4 corner posts. Narrow enough to reach across.
Beginner2 hours8 parts2× lumber
Have scraps? Check this project against your wood
Cutting diagram
Bright pieces are your parts; the dimmed wood is left over. Every cut allows ⅛″ for the saw blade.
Cut list
| Part | Qty | Width × length | Cut from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Side | 2 | 5½″ × 96″140 × 2438 mm | 2× lumber |
| B | End | 2 | 5½″ × 21″140 × 533 mm | 2× lumber |
| C | Corner post | 4 | 3½″ × 10″89 × 254 mm | 2× lumber |
How to build it
- Cut two sides at 8 ft, two ends at 21″ and four posts at 10″. Cedar or untreated pine is best near food plants.
- Screw each end board to two posts, flush at the top, leaving 4½″ of post below the board to push into the ground.
- Screw the long sides to the posts so they overlap the ends. The bed is now 2 ft × 8 ft outside.
- Set the bed in place, press the posts into the soil and check it's level.
- Line the bottom with cardboard to smother weeds, then fill with soil. On an 8-ft side, add a centre stake so the board can't bow outward.