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Building a Garden

Can I build raised beds on a slope?

Depending on the steepness of the slope, you can expect to bury one or two boards on the higher side of the slope. Don't worry about leveling the entire area, just level the area where the boards are to be placed.

Be sure to set the first boards so that they make firm contact with the ground on all sides. A carpenter's level is very useful here, as it will help you keep your boards nice and level. Leveling will also prevent corners on the downhill side from being undermined if you have sloping paths between beds. Set your foundation boards firmly in place, insert pins, and build up layers from there. For added strength on the downhill side of the raised beds, you can request longer pins so that you can drive them into the ground like stakes. To maintain the same height for several beds built on a slope or terrace, add additional layers to the shorter ones until all are equal in height.

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Comments & Feedback – Thank You

I recently purchased a raised cedar bed from Naturalyards and I am delighted with my purchase. The bed required assembly, but no tools were needed. I put together a 4x6 foot 16.5 inch deep bed in about 10 minutes. It took me longer to get the pieces out of the boxes than it did to assemble them. Things I particularly like about this vendor are: 1) that they have different grades of wood; 2) that the price includes shipping; 3) the speed with which the bed was delivered; and 4) the very nice people that I dealt with when ordering. I highly recommend this vendor.

– Brian N., Chevy Chase, MD

I purchased some raised bed planters last March. When they arrived, I thought, "Nancy, what were you thinking?!";  I am a brown-thumbed lawyer with no time to tend a garden, and wasn't really sure I would be able to set the darned things up.  Well, I set the beds up in about 20 minutes (all three)! I have to admit, I only have one filled and planted, but I have raised a cherry tomato plant that is over six foot tall and nearly as wide as well as some bell peppers and a zucchini plant that are producing.  It has been a very fun project for me.  I may only get one bed up and operating per year, but at my age the years are zooming by anyway, so they'll all be up and running before I know it, right?

– Nancy B., San Diego, CA

These people make a great product. Their raised beds are ridiculously easy to assemble and install. The finished bed looks like I paid a professional to install it. The bed is perfectly straight and level and all the seams are tight. Like the previous reviewer stated, moving the boxes into the back yard and unpacking them was more of a chore than putting the bed together. I would guess it took me about 20 minutes to build a 2’ x 16’ x 11” bed. I was able to fill it and plant it that same day, and FedEx delivered it around 3pm. If you need a raised bed, I would definitely recommend this to you and know that you would be very happy that I did.

– Michael A., Georgetown, TX