Grow & Garden Upgrade Your Garden
boards. Next, pre-drill three evenly-spaced ⅛-inch holes in both ends of the short pieces, about 3 / 4-inch in from the end. This will prevent splitting the wood when fastening the pieces together.
Place one of those pieces at right angles to one of the long boards, with the pre-drilled end of the short piece overlapping the end of the long piece. Using three-inch powder-coated deck screws, fasten the two boards together. Attach the second eight-foot board to the other end of the four-foot board in the same way. Do the same with the second four-foot board at the other end of the eight-foot boards.
And you’ re done! You’ ve just built a four-by-eight raised garden bed. That’ s all that many home gardeners do to produce plenty of vegetables each year, with some to give away.
Lots of Additional Options
Many have found that success at this exercise has encouraged and emboldened them to think outside the basic box and try some other options.
For example, building two identical four-by-eight boxes and stacking them together will double the growing depth of your garden, enabling you to grow plants with deep root systems and large root balls. If you are going to do that, it is strongly suggested that you put two-by-four or four-by-four stake braces on each of the four corners and one along the length of each of the two long sides. Simply cut six 24-inch stakes, and after stacking the boxes together, put the braces in place and screw the two-by-12 side boards into them, using the same-evenly spaced three-screw pattern as you did when assembling the beds.
The purpose of the stake braces is twofold. First of all, it helps hold the two( upper and lower) boxes together so they won’ t tend to slide out of alignment in the years of use. And second, the center braces in particular will prevent the long side boards from bowing out under the pressure of the added soil, especially when it gets wet.
Time to Get Gardening
Home gardening is an approachable and rewarding project for homesteaders, acreage owners and those looking to grow produce for their families or local markets. Building raised beds can become a hands-on family activity, and with enough space and budget, it’ s possible to create multiple beds in different sizes, heights and shapes to support a wide range of plants, vegetables and even flowers. Taking time to research soil types and blends for various crops, along with using tarps, covers and simple frames to extend the growing season, can add both practicality and enjoyment to the process.
Gardening has long been a shared family tradition and continues to gain renewed interest, especially during times of economic uncertainty.
30 AcreageLife March 2026 AcreageLife. com