If you build it...they will grow

The right stuff.

My choice of materials for the construction of a raised garden bed was practically endless.  

• cedar-wood eating insects stay away from it due to its fragrance and it breaks down very slowly
• fallen trees or large branches-a more rustic look, but certainly earth friendly
• any other wood- insuring that it has not been treated with any chemicals or finished with paint or stain of any kind, though this will break down/rot after a few years
• cement blocks or natural stone-heavy and can be expensive
• simply mound soil-atop the native soil, ensureing not to mound it too high with steep sides or erosion will destroy your hard work
• endless other ideas that will not allow the intrusion of chemicals or toxins from the materials themselves to infiltrate your growing medium

A great article from Organic Gardening explaining how to build 5 different raised beds and of course the method I used to build a raised bed utilizing cedar lumber at Sunset.com.  Choose wisely!

Even more important and essential to a raised garden bed is what growing medium you will be filling the box with.  And again, the wealth of information available on the interwebs is endless.  Nearly all reputable sites will recommend that you use between 30%-50% compost or organic matter, and the rest is up for debate.  My boy Mr. McGrath will advise you on raised beds and exactly what should go in them, here on his supporting site, GardensAlive.com.  Square foot Gardening and it's founder Mel will recommend Mel's Mix...I will let you research what exactly that entails.  No doubt that these and many other websites offer tons of very valuable information on the contents of the growing medium that should go into a raised garden bed.  I decided on 50% high quality compost (blend of mushroom compost, composted leaves, composted manure) and 50% high quality bagged top soil (blend of 2-3 reputable brands).  

No preservatives, additives, chemicals, toxins, moisture retaining stuff, etc.

What I am about to mention is worth paying attention to.  None of the products I used, nor should anyone use, contain any type of chemical fertilizer or additive to enhance the ability to retain water or feed the plants that will be growing in the raised garden bed.  A proper compost and mulch will retain all the moisture you need and feed your veggies and flowers absolutely fine.  NO CHEMICALS NECESSARY!  Once again, my friend Mike McGrath will tell you all you need to know HERE about making, selecting and using compost rather than fertilizer on your garden.  For god's sake, he wrote a book on the subject...Mike McGrath's Book of Compost.  If you have the means, buy it, read it, compost it...just kidding.  

It took me about 2 hours to build this 4' x 8' raised bed and set it in its current location...

using the details I found on Sunset.com.  It was easy to plan for and construct and the website does a great job with the images to support each step of the process.  Again, there are tons of websites and plans online...if you were to simply search for raised garden bed plan.  <-------JUST CLICK HERE!