I have been eyeing a small corner of my yard ever since I bought my house last year. Originally it looked like an afterthought in the landscaping design – just a little triangular slice of mulch with a few creeping phlox, a boxwood, and a lot of weeds. Last year I let it grow while I did much of my vegetable & herb gardening in containers. This year is a different story though. As soon as the feet of snow we got in the Northeast melted and the ground thawed, I became bent on making that corner of the yard a usable productive vegetable garden.
I swear it’s under there somewhere….
I came up with a quick sketch for what I wanted to accomplish. The first plan was admittedly a little ambitious, but it got me started
After a reality check and some re-designing, I revised the design to fit the space a bit better. It ended up looking like a home plate shape, and figured I could get the whole thing built for about $50 with cheap lumber at the Home Depot.
Supplies!
Once the plan was finalized, I went out to grab lumber to put this all together. Here’s my shopping list:
(6) 1×10 pine rough sawn ledgerboard
(8) 1×3 pine furring strip
(1) 25′ roll of 1″ poultry wire fence
(1) framing 2×4
That’s all I needed to buy since I have a ton of deck screws and other fasteners lying around.
Building:
The process for building was pretty straightforward: Stake out the corners, drive in the 2×4 posts, check for level and plumb, and affix the 1×10 board. I made the stakes myself with the 2×4. It was just a matter of slicing off one end to make a point. I was then able to sink these about 18 inches into the soil which makes the whole thing surprisingly sturdy. Once the stakes were in, I just used some deck screws to affix the retainer board to the outside to form my raised bed. Once the whole perimeter was established, I could excavate about a foot and re-fill with garden soil.
I might have stopped there if it weren’t for the fact that I am faced with two garden-destroying foes in my yard:
Public enemy #1:
Compulsive digger and plant chewer:
This little lady likes to bury things. Anywhere but the garden, please!
To solve those two problems, I took the 1×3 furring strips and stapled the chicken wire to them, creating a simple fence. A pneumatic stapler made this job extremely quick. For access, I left a 3′ gap for a simple swinging gate which I made by creating a basic frame with the furring strips. I used half lap joints with glue and 3/4″ staples for construction, stretched the wire fencing over the frame like upholstery and snipped off the excess. I hung the gate with a couple of spare hinges I had and made a rudimentary catch to keep it closed. I haven’t planted anything yet, but the fence is more than enough deterrent for the dog, and there is no way bunny is getting in there.
Just some simple construction. 2×4 stakes with ledgerboard and furring strips made a surprisingly sturdy form!
Hung the simple frame door with a couple of old hinges. Worked like a charm
Literally the simplest latch possible – just a piece of wood and a screw. It’s all this thing needs though. If the bunny and the dog figure this out, I might have to upgrade.
The view from above: I have lots of space for planting now!
3 feet wide turns out to be just right for a simple gate. Check out that swing. Niiiice.
To finish everything up, I back filled with organic garden soil and placed a few pavers in to create a simple walkway. All in all, not a bad effort for a weekend’s work and $50 worth of supplies!
And there it is – a far cry from being buried under four feet of snow. Now to fill it with plants!
Sawdust & Static 