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An elevated garden bed clad with Ekodeck and lined to create a self-watering wicking bed.
The project
This is beneath the window of what will be our master bedroom with Gardenia planted in it. The bed itself is an elevated timber frame and then it's lined to create a self-watering wicking bed.
The whole garden bed has then been clad with 137mm EkoDeck Plus decking slats, which have concealed fixings. As a lot of what I was attaching to was steel I used their fixing kit for steel joists.
I have used EkoDeck before on smaller screening projects so this one was interesting to do and pushed the limits a bit. To give neat corners I used aluminium angle, some of which I had to paint myself as I couldn't find larger sizes in a black finish. For the edging along the top I found that HardieDeck trim worked but I did need to plane the boards a little as it is designed for 18mm boards and the larger EkoDeck is 23mm.
To get the best lifespan from a project like this, you really need to use a landscape-grade timber for the internals especially. Ideally use H4 treated pine. I tend to use sleepers for these projects as they are cost effective, easy to work with and have a long lifespan. Normally 200 x 50mm x 2.4m does the job.
Any screws need to be suitable for landscape use too. You can use galvanised but personally I prefer ClimaCote as I've found that they are a lot easier to screw in and apparently they have a longer lifespan in treated Pine.
How to build a raised garden bed
Grow your own garden in raised garden beds by following Adam's step-by-step guide to building a raised garden bed.
For beginners, Adam has also shared a step-by-step guide to building a simple raised bed, while Mitchell shared how to build a raised garden bed using pallets.
More wicking garden bed projects
Workshop member Maursie used pond lining, shade cloth, drainage gravel and 90mm pipes with drilled holes to create this wicking raised garden bed.
A raised garden bed can make it easier to water your plants, keep weeds at bay and ensure optimal growing conditions. Find more inspiration for your next garden bed build in our Top 10 most popular raised garden beds.
