Raised garden bed configurator

Enter the outside length, width, and height you want, pick a wood species, and this tool builds a complete cut list, tells you how many standard 8, 10, or 12 foot boards to buy, estimates the screws and corner brackets, and calculates the soil volume to fill it, in cubic feet and in bags. Nothing is sent anywhere and nothing reloads: change a number and the results update immediately.

What the free 4x2 Starter Plan adds

If you want a ready-made plan rather than entering your own dimensions, the free 4x2 Starter Plan is a one page printable PDF with a dimensioned plan for the most common first bed size, its full cut list, and the six step build sequence, available after providing an email address.

What the Raised Bed Build Pack adds

For anyone building more than one bed or a specific shape the configurator above does not cover, the paid Raised Bed Build Pack goes further: six complete dimensioned plans, a 4x2, a 4x4, a full size 4x8 with a center brace, a narrow 2x8 for a fence line, a waist height bed on legs, and an L-shaped bed, each with a top view, an exploded view, a cut list, a standard board buying guide, hardware, an assembly sequence, and build variants such as a rodent-resistant mesh bottom, a liner, and hoop supports, plus a full chapter on choosing wood and its real lifespan in soil contact.

Hardware and supplies for this project

Once you know your cut list, here is the kind of hardware most raised bed builds call for. Links go to Amazon; as an Amazon Associate, Raised Bed Plans earns from qualifying purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.

• Exterior wood screws rated for outdoor or ground contact use.
• Corner brackets to reinforce each joint and keep the frame square while building.
• Geotextile felt to line the interior walls and slow wood and soil contact.
• Mole and rodent mesh to staple across an open bottom.
• Linseed oil for a traditional exterior wood finish on the outside faces, check the product label for its intended use.

These links point to categories of product, not a specific brand endorsement; pick the option that fits your project and budget.

Why actual board dimensions matter

A nominal 2x6 board measures 1.5 by 5.5 inches once it leaves the mill, not a full 2 by 6 inches. This configurator uses actual milled dimensions throughout, so the cut lengths, course counts, and board purchase numbers it returns match what you can actually build with lumber bought at a yard, rather than rounding to the nominal size and coming up short on height or overshooting the corner joints.

Guides for specific bed sizes and situations

If you already know roughly what you are building, the guides below go into more depth than the configurator alone: choosing a bed depth, comparing cedar and pine, sizing soil for a specific bed, building a bed on legs, keeping rodents out, laying out an L-shaped bed, planning a full 4x8 bed, and building a narrow bed for a fence line.