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An elevated cedar garden box on 4x4 legs that BOLTS together with threaded inserts — knock-down for winter storage — with a 1/4" hardware-cloth floor that drains and defeats burrowers.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legs | 4 | 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 30" | 4x4 | ☐ |
| Sides The shopping list is EXACT — if kerf forces 47-7/8", fine, but all matching cuts must match. | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 48" | Cedar 1x8 | ☐ |
| Ends 24" keeps the box within one width of hardware cloth. | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 24" | Cedar 1x8 | ☐ |
| Floor slats | 6 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 24" | Cedar 1x3 | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| 4x4 post, 10 ft, fir or cedar All four legs. Fir is cheaper and 'lasts nearly as long' — the source's words. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Cedar 1x8, 12 ft (Cedar) Sides and ends — exactly enough; mind the kerf note in the cut list. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Cedar 1x3, 12 ft (Cedar) The six floor slats. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Hardware cloth, 1/4" mesh, 24" x 50" 1/4" holes SPECIFICALLY — 1/2" mesh lets the dirt through. A 25-ft roll floors six boxes. | 1 each | ☐ |
| Hex bolts, 1/4-20 x 2", with washers | 16 each | ☐ |
| Threaded inserts, 1/4-20 E-Z LOK style. These are the knock-down system — machine threads that never strip out. | 16 each | ☐ |
| Exterior screws, 1-1/2", self-tapping, star drive The floor slats. | 12 each | ☐ |
| Staples | 50 each | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver, Drill Bit Set, Hammer, Pencil. Materials: 4x4 post, 10 ft, fir or cedar, Cedar 1x8, 12 ft
Drill the bolt holes through the 1x8 sides and ends first — two or three per end, your call. Then dry-assemble the box around the legs with a pin nail per side holding position, NUMBER every board-to-leg pairing with arrows marking 'up,' and hammer a center punch through each hole to mark the legs.
This mark-through-the-hole sequence is the whole trick: the leg holes end up exactly behind the board holes because they were born from them.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Drill Bit Set. Materials: 4x4 post, 10 ft, fir or cedar, Hex bolts, 1/4-20 x 2", with washers, Threaded inserts, 1/4-20
Pull the dry assembly apart and drill the leg holes STRAIGHT and to the depth your bolts need — a drill press if you have one, a careful eye and tape-flag depth marker if you don't. Thread the sixteen inserts into the legs.
Depth matters: the source made sure the bolts could pull the sides fully tight against the legs. Test one joint — bolt, washer, board, snug — before setting all sixteen inserts.
Tools: Drill / Driver. Materials: Cedar 1x8, 12 ft, Hex bolts, 1/4-20 x 2", with washers
Bolt sides and ends to the legs following your numbering — washers under every head, snugged tight. Enjoy the novel sensation of furniture-grade joinery on a garden box, and remember this comes apart in November on purpose.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Staple Gun, Tape Measure. Materials: Cedar 1x3, 12 ft, Hardware cloth, 1/4" mesh, 24" x 50", Exterior screws, 1-1/2", self-tapping, star drive, Staples
Flip the box upside down, stretch the 24" x 50" hardware cloth across the bottom, and staple generously — wrapping the mesh around at the legs per the source's close-ups, since corners are where burrowers audition.
Space the six 1x3 slats evenly across the mesh and screw each end down with two screws — the slats carry the soil's weight; the mesh just holds the soil and repels the wildlife.
Tools: Tape Measure. Materials: Hardware cloth, 1/4" mesh, 24" x 50"
Flip upright, lay coconut coir, newspaper, or compost over the mesh to keep fine soil put while roots establish, and fill.
At 30" tall this bed gardens at standing height — no kneeling, no gophers, and no spring rebuild, because the bolts you snug next April are the same ones you loosened in November.