GRuB > Kitchen Garden Project > Build Your Own Garden

Photo of a hammer being used to nail a garden bed together.

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WOOD: For each garden bed you build, you should have four boards, preferably 2 in. by 8 in. (2" X 8" s). You should have two different pairs of boards that are each the same length. For example, the Kitchen Garden Project uses one pair of 10 ft. boards and another pair of 4 ft. boards, making the beds 10ft. by 4 ft., but any lengths will do as long as they make a perfect rectangle or square. KGP uses wood from Douglas Fir trees for all its beds. Cedar would be ideal because it holds up in the wet weather better, but it is more expensive.; If you want to build a trellis, you will need some smaller pieces of wood, preferably 2" X 2" s. For each trellis you build, (on which you can grow peas, beans, cucumbers - anything that grows on vines) you will want four 2" X 2" s, preferably 8 ft. long.

NAILS: You'll want some good, strong nails that won't bend too easily if you don't hit them at the perfect angle. KGP uses 4 in. nails, which is probably the minimum length you will want to use. 6 in. nails would work okay too, but anything longer than that might be too long. For each corner of the frame you will probably want to use at least three nails, so you'll need twelve nails for each frame.

HAMMER: A nice heavy carpenter's hammer will make it a lot easier to drive the nails through the wood.

CARDBOARD OR LANDSCAPE CLOTH: Many people prefer to put down cardboard or landscape cloth material on the ground before they dump the soil into the garden beds. This is done to make sure that the existing grass and/or weeds that the beds are being placed upon won't grow up through the garden soil.

SOIL: KGP gets 'Garden Mix' from Great Western Supply, located in Tumwater on Old Highway 99. As the name suggests, this mix is ideal for growing gardens: it is composed of two-thirds mushroom compost that comes from Ostrom's Mushroom Farm, and one-third topsoil. It's stinky at first, but your plants will love it. For each set of three 10' x 4' beds we build, we use roughly 3 cubic yards of soil, which comes out to about 1 cubic yard per bed. The Garden Mix costs $12.49 per cubic yard.

TRUCK: You'll have to get the soil from the supply yard to your home somehow, and the best way to do that is, of course, with a pickup truck. If you don't have access to one, supply yards usually deliver, but this costs more. Ask a friend if you can use their truck..

SHOVEL AND RAKE: You'll need at least one shovel to move the soil. The rake is used to break up clumps and spread the soil out to evenly fill up the beds.

WHEELBARROW, TAPE MEASURE, PENCIL, & SAW: Unless you can back the truck right up to your garden beds, you are going to need at least one wheelbarrow to move the soil from the truck to your beds. If you are building a trellis and/or have any sawing to do, you will need a tape measure, and if you're doing any measuring you will need a pencil to mark off your lengths. If you're building a trellis, you will probably need a saw to cut two of the 2" x 2" s so that the trellis isn't taller than you can reach.

TWINE AND SCISSORS: You'll need a roll of twine to string up and down your trellis and a pair of scissors to cut it with when you're done. The twine is what your plants will cling to as they grow up towards the sun.

STEP 2: BUILDING THE FRAMES -->

This manual is dedicated to the many wonderful kitchen gardeners I met while working on the Kitchen Garden Project - those beautiful souls who illuminated our lives with their enthusiasm and gratitude; to the many kind volunteers who came out with us to help build gardens - those thoughtful folks who gave their time and energy to help build the change they believe in; and to everyone at Garden-Raised Bounty who made this such an enjoyable and enriching internship - those compassionate and empowering people who have taught me how much a little collective creativity and kindness - and some good home-grown food - can change our perspectives, our health, our community, and our world. All these people had a tremendously positive impact on my life, and I sincerely thank them for all the ways they influenced the path of my life. Their kind spirits will be with me always. -- AV, June 2004