Creating a 3 foot square Concrete Raised Garden Bed

for this demonstration bed I'll assemble it on grass using a spirit level, framing square, rubber mallet, and some foot long rebar sections — for this demonstration bed I’ll assemble it on grass using a spirit level, framing square, rubber mallet, and some foot long rebar sections

Prepare Garden Bed Site – mark a section in your garden or yard for the raised bed. With a shovel or hoe, excavate a flat and level trench a few inches wider inside and outside than the thickness of the panels. Then add a few inches of sand or fine crushed rock. Smooth, level, and pack this by foot or with a tamper tool.

Connect Panels Level and Square – set your panels in place overlapping at the edges and trying to keep them sitting vertical as you go.

ensuring that the panels are square to each other

a 12 inch length of 3/8" epoxy coated rebar is used to tie the concrete panels togther — a 12 inch length of 3/8″ epoxy coated rebar is used to tie the concrete panels togther

As the panels have a slight draft angle on the edges, the sand or gravel in the trench will help them stand up straight. Check with a level as you go and use a framing square to keep the corners at 90 degrees.

Insert Metal Pins into Corners – slide 3/8″ rebar into the holes to connect the panels. Some wiggling may be required to line them up. If required, tap the rebar into the ground with a rubber mallet.

rebar pins the panels together at the corners

rebar slid into the aligned holes in the corner

The rebar should move easily through the holes in the concrete. If not, check your panel alignment. Do not use any force to insert the rebar through the holes of mating panels. If they don’t slide easily visually check the hole alignments.

check with a spirit level across the walls of the concrete garden box

a three foot by three fot raised concrete garden bed pinned together at the corners with epoxy coated rebar

Panels that were made by overfilled molds may have alignment problems. This can be fixed by rubbing the inside face of the panels at the ends to make them thinner. The cast panels should not be more than 2-1/2″ thick at the ends.

Creating a larger Concrete Raised Garden Bed

lining up the side wall of the garden bed with a level for reference

tapping the rebar into the ground that connect the corners of the panels

tapping rebar into the ground that connect the concrete panels end-to-end

assembled 3 foot by 6 foot concrete raised garden bed

Fill with Soil & Plant – fill the bed with soil. The sold will also keep the panels in place if there is any play between them.

(patent pending)

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