PROJECT SUMMARY
Raised Garden Bed
Bed size8 × 4 ft × 16.5" tall
- Quantity
- 1 bed
- Material
- Cedar
- Walls
- 2×6 · 3 courses
- Soil fill
- 1.6 cu yd (≈ 30 bags)
- Corners
- 4×4 posts
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Build time
- half a–1 day
- Estimated materials
- $270–$344
Raised Garden Bed Soil & Cost Calculator
Size the lumber and soil for one bed or a whole garden — no guesswork.
Configure
Raised Garden Bed
Advanced optionsframing, footings, finishing…
Estimates are planning aids, not an engineered design. Confirm spans, footings and setbacks against your local code and permit before buying.
Cost breakdown
Material only · national-average rates| Lumber & Decking | $183–$233 |
| Soil & Fill | $77–$99 |
| Fasteners & Hardware | $10–$12 |
| Total | $270–$344 |
Excludes tools, delivery, tax and permit fees. Labor not included — this is a DIY materials estimate.
Materials
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Side boards — 2×6 Cedar3 courses · 1 bed | 10 × 8 ft |
| Corner posts — 4×4inner corner anchors | 4 × 2 ft cut |
| Raised-bed soil mix (bulk)≈ 30 bags · or order delivered | 1.6 × cu yd |
Hardware & fasteners
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Exterior wood screws≈ 48 screws | 1 × 100 ct |
Shopping list
Grouped by store sectionLumber & Decking
- 10× 8 ftSide boards — 2×6 Cedar — 3 courses · 1 bedFindHome DepotLowe'sAmazonWalmart
- 4× 2 ft cutCorner posts — 4×4 — inner corner anchorsFindHome DepotLowe'sAmazonWalmart
Fasteners & Hardware
- 1× 100 ctExterior wood screws — ≈ 48 screwsFindHome DepotLowe'sAmazonWalmart
Soil & Fill
- 1.6× cu ydRaised-bed soil mix (bulk) — ≈ 30 bags · or order deliveredFindHome DepotLowe'sAmazonWalmart
Tools
✓ required · ○ helpful- Cordless drill / driverFindHome DepotLowe'sAmazonWalmart
- Circular saw or miter saw — cutting boards to lengthFindHome DepotLowe'sAmazonWalmart
- Tape measure & squareFindHome DepotLowe'sAmazonWalmart
- LevelFindHome DepotLowe'sAmazonWalmart
- Wheelbarrow — moving soilFindHome DepotLowe'sAmazonWalmart
Project notes
- Soil settles 1–2 inches after the first watering — slightly overfill and top up in a week.
- Bulk soil is far cheaper than bags above roughly a cubic yard; many garden suppliers deliver. Bagged mix is shown when the total is under a yard.
- For edibles, stick with cedar, untreated fir/pine, or composite. Modern pressure-treated lumber is considered low-risk but cedar is the popular choice for vegetable beds.
- Set the bed on cardboard to smother grass, or add hardware cloth underneath if burrowing animals are a problem in your area.
About this planner
How the Raised Garden Bed Builder works
Give the Raised Garden Bed Builder a size, wall height and material and it returns the exact board count, corner hardware, and — the part everyone gets wrong — how much soil to buy, in both cubic yards and bags.
Building several beds? Set the quantity and everything scales at once. Advanced options add a fabric liner, a hardware-cloth gopher barrier, board width and corner style.
Step by step
How to build a raised garden bed
A high-level walkthrough of the build. Pair it with your plan above and always confirm spans, footings and setbacks against your local code.
- 1
Pick and prep the spot
Choose a level area with at least 6–8 hours of sun and easy access to water. Mark the bed's footprint and clear it; you can leave the grass and smother it later with cardboard.
- 2
Cut the boards
Cut the side boards to your length and width, and the corner posts to the finished wall height. Dry-fit one course on the ground to confirm everything fits square before fastening.
- 3
Assemble the corners
Screw the side boards to the inner corner posts (or to metal brackets), keeping the box square by checking the diagonals. Stack and fasten additional courses for taller beds.
- 4
Level the bed in place
Set the assembled frame on the marked spot, then dig down or shim until it sits level all the way around. A level bed waters and drains evenly.
- 5
Line and protect (optional)
Staple a fabric liner to the inside walls to slow rot and block weeds, and lay hardware cloth across the bottom if burrowing animals are a problem in your area.
- 6
Block weeds underneath
Lay overlapping cardboard across the bottom to smother the grass below — it breaks down as the roots grow past it, so you don't have to remove the sod.
- 7
Fill with soil
Fill with a raised-bed mix (or topsoil plus compost), watering and tamping lightly in layers. Slightly overfill, since the soil settles an inch or two after the first good watering.
- 8
Plant and top up
Plant, mulch the surface to hold moisture, and check the soil level after a week — top it up where it has settled below the rim.
Equip the job
Recommended gear for this build
Hand-picked categories that match the shopping list above. Links open a current selection so you can compare brands and prices.
Connectors & BracketsRaised-bed corner bracketsSlot-in steel corners that make a square bed from straight boards in minutes.
$15–35/set
Fasteners & HardwareExterior structural wood screwsCoated screws that won't corrode against damp soil and wood tannins.
$10–20
Membrane & FabricGalvanized hardware cloth (1/2 in)Burrowing-animal barrier for the base — also keeps moles out.
$20–40/roll
Membrane & FabricLandscape fabricLines the inside walls to extend wood life and suppress weeds.
$15–30/roll
Keep planning
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Answers
Frequently asked questions
How much soil do I need for a raised bed?
Multiply length × width × height (in feet) to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. A 4×8 bed 12 inches deep needs about 1.2 cubic yards — roughly 21 bags of 1.5 cubic foot mix. The planner does this for you and switches to bulk pricing once you pass a cubic yard, where buying in bulk gets much cheaper.
What wood is safe for a vegetable bed?
Cedar is the classic choice — naturally rot-resistant and long-lived. Untreated fir or pine is cheaper and food-safe but lasts only a few seasons. Composite never rots. Modern pressure-treated lumber is considered low-risk by most agencies, but many gardeners avoid it for edibles out of caution.
How tall should a raised bed be?
Six inches works for shallow-rooted greens, but 12 inches is the sweet spot for most vegetables and drains well. Go 18–24 inches for root crops, poor native soil, or to garden without bending — just note the soil volume (and cost) climbs quickly with height.
Do I need a liner or bottom?
Beds are usually left open to the ground so roots reach deeper and drainage is better. A fabric liner on the sides slows rot and blocks weeds; hardware cloth across the bottom stops gophers and voles. Both are optional toggles here — add them only if you have a specific reason.