Platform Bed

Getting a head start on preparations to plant some winter vegetables during this coming Fall (feels like it will never get here with temperatures well over 100 degrees for the last several weeks). I looked at some kits you can actually buy that are pre-cut, etc., but decided to just build my own. It's terribly easy and I was pleased with the results.

I was going for a 4' x 8' bed.

The materials are simple:

Six 1 x 6 x 8 cedar boards. They are rot resistant and last for a very long time.

Four 18" metal rods.

Tools: Hand or power saw, drill, tape measure.

I was unable to buy 18" metal rods, which are used to link the boards together at the corners, so I bought two 36" rods at 3/8" diameter and used my angle grinder to cut them in half. The results:

Exciting eh?

I had six cedar boards. Four would be used for the long sides of the bed and two would be cut in half for the short sides. To secure the boards together, I cut small brackets in each one as seen here.

...and here:

You can see that there are sections cut out of each end, but on opposite sides so each board looks like a really long "Z". You drill 3/4" holes through each "tab."

Next you clear some ground and level it. I used my little Honda tiller. Oooo, check out that real-estate. Sexy:


Puzzle all the pieces together, drop the rods through the holes and you're good. Because I want to extend the longevity of the cedar, I put it on a platform of rocks.


Check for level and you're all done. Boom.