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The narrow width is the design decision here: at under 20" across, you can reach the whole bed from one side, which means it can go against a fence — and a bed you never have to step in is a bed whose soil never compacts. Six cedar fence pickets build the whole thing.
The construction is panelized: build two long side panels and two end panels flat on the ground (pickets screwed to corner posts, posts overextending 5/8" at the panel ends), and the four panels then interlock 'like a puzzle' — each post's overhang laps the neighboring panel. Screw the laps, check square, done. It's faster and squarer than building a box in place.
The money tip is step 1: if you have a table saw, rip one extra picket into four 1-1/4" strips for the corner posts instead of buying 1x2 cedar — across a garden's worth of beds, that's real savings. No table saw? Buy the 1x2s and skip nothing else. Optional 1x2 top trim gives the rim a finished cap and somewhere to rest a coffee cup. A couple of stakes driven inside the walls keep the bed located; soil pressure does the rest. Line with nothing — cedar against dirt is the point.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72"Panels, posts (if ripping), and optional top trim. | 6 each |
| 1x2 cedar, 8 ftCorner posts — only if you're not ripping them from a picket. | 1 each |
| Exterior screws, #8 x 1-1/4", self-tapping, star drivePanel assembly. | 40 each |
| Exterior screws, #8 x 2", self-tapping, star driveJoining the panels at the corners. | 16 each |
| Exterior wood glue | 4 oz |
| Garden or concrete stakesA couple per bed, inside the walls, to keep the bottom located. | 4 each |
Overall cost: $. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Side panelsCedar fence picketTwo pickets high per side. Trimming the dog ear? Work at 71". | 4 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 72" |
| Corner postsRipped fence picket or 1x2 cedar | 8 | 5/8" × 1 1/4" × 11" |
| End panelsCedar fence picket | 4 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 17 3/4" |
| Top trim, sidesRipped fence picketOptional — cut to fit; use non-dog-eared centers. | 2 | 5/8" × 1 1/4" × 72" |
| Top trim, endsRipped fence picketOptional — cut to fit. | 2 | 5/8" × 1 1/4" × 19" |
Buy 7 boards at 8 ft.
4 boards
3 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Table saw route: set the fence to 1-1/4" and rip one picket into four strips, then crosscut into eight 11" posts. The math works out to a meaningful saving if you're building a garden's worth of beds.
No table saw: buy 1x2 cedar and crosscut the posts. Same bed, slightly dearer corners.
Screw and glue two 72" pickets to a pair of corner posts with the 1-1/4" screws, posts OVEREXTENDING the panel ends by 5/8" — that overhang is the puzzle tab that laps the end panels at assembly.
The two pickets meet edge-to-edge in the middle of the panel; a third post scrap or a pocket-hole joint there stiffens the seam (the source did the latter — either works).
Exactly the same construction at 17-3/4" — two pickets high, posts overextending 5/8".
Stand the four panels up and interlock them — each post overhang laps its neighboring panel. Fasten the corners with the 2" screws and glue, and check square across the top.
Set the bed in place, drive a couple of stakes inside the walls to locate the bottom, and add the optional top trim cut to fit. Then fill it with more soil than seems reasonable and grow something you'll brag about.
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