For a long, narrow bed you work from one side
Frame It All GardenBLOX 2 × 8 ft Raised Bed
A 2 × 8 ft composite bed of 2-ft boards that stacks from one to four levels. Each level adds 5.5 inches of height and 7.33 cubic feet of soil, by Frame It All’s soil calculator.
4 sizes and layouts
Each size drawn from above at the same scale, with the maker’s listed capacity.
- Listed capacity
- 7.33 ft³
- Soil to fill it
- 5 bags of 1.5 ft³
For a long, narrow bed you work from one side
Order by Frame It All’s soil calculator, not the product page. For three and four levels the page prints 18.5 and 26 cubic feet; the calculator gives 21.99 and 29.32, what a 2 × 8 ft bed holds at 16.5 and 22 inches. The page’s figures leave you 2 bags short. From two levels up, three boards cross the bed, so it reads as four 2 × 2 ft squares, and at 2 ft wide you reach across it from one side.
- Style
- Open-bottom bed
- Material
- Composite of 38% HDPE plastic and 62% wood fibers
- Warranty
- 5 years; 10 years if you register within 60 days of purchase, which Frame It All calls its Limited Lifetime Warranty.
- Bottom
- Open to the ground
Choose the size or layout
Use the widest outside footprint to plan paths. For a soil order, measure between the inside walls after assembly and choose your filled depth; advertised dimensions can be rounded. Rectangular sizes below read length × width × height.
Frame It All doesn’t publish inside measurements or an outside size for these beds, so the soil figure below is the maker’s own stated capacity. If you’ll fill it less deep, measure between the inside walls once it’s built.
| Size or layout | Advertised size | Listed capacity | Bags of 1.5 ft³ for that capacity | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 level, 5.5 in tall | 96 × 24 × 5.5 in | 7.33 ft³ | 5 bags | Plan this size: 1 level, 5.5 in tall |
| 2 levels, 11 in tall | 96 × 24 × 11 in | 14.66 ft³ | 10 bags | Plan this size: 2 levels, 11 in tall |
| 3 levels, 16.5 in tall | 96 × 24 × 16.5 in | 21.99 ft³ | 15 bags | Plan this size: 3 levels, 16.5 in tall |
| 4 levels, 22 in tall | 96 × 24 × 22 in | 29.32 ft³ | 20 bags | Plan this size: 4 levels, 22 in tall |
Notes on these sizes
- All sizes: The soil figure is what Frame It All recommends ordering.
Where the maker’s figures disagree
- The product page prints 7.5, 15.0, 18.5 and 26.0 cubic feet for one to four levels; Frame It All’s soil calculator gives 7.33, 14.66, 21.99 and 29.32. The calculator’s figures are what a 2 × 8 ft bed holds at 5.5, 11, 16.5 and 22 inches, and they are the ones shown here.
Measure the inside of the assembled bed before ordering soil.
Also in this range from Frame It All: Frame It All GardenBLOX 2 × 2 ft composite box, Frame It All GardenBLOX 2 × 4 ft composite bed, Frame It All GardenBLOX 2 × 6 ft composite bed, Frame It All GardenBLOX 4 × 4 ft composite bed, Frame It All GardenBLOX 4 × 8 ft composite bed, Frame It All GardenBLOX 4 × 12 ft composite bed, Frame It All GardenBLOX 8 × 8 ft composite bed.
What to plant in it
Four planting plans drawn to scale, a salad bed, a kitchen bed with herbs, tomatoes and peppers, and roots and onions, with every plant counted: 2 × 8 ft bed.
What comes in the box, for the 2-level bed, 11 inches tall
Parts
- 23 composite boards, 20.75 inches long: ten to a level and three across the middle
- 34 snap-lock stacking brackets and 12 four-way brackets for the boards across
- 20 stacking stakes
- 92 plugs to lock the brackets
- 10 caps for the top joints
Tools you need
- A hammer, Frame It All says; a rubber mallet is gentler on the boards
- A hacksaw, only for a bed on a hard surface
Before and while you build
- Slide each board end into a bracket and push a plug into the hole on each side to lock it.
- Lay out the first level with each stake pushed up through its brackets, point to the sky, so you can still move the outline into place.
- Lay the second level out flat and try its boards across on the upturned stakes. Once they fit, hammer the stakes in and stack the level.
- Finish with a cap on each top joint.
- On a patio or other hard surface, saw the spike off each stake and use the cut-down stakes in the first level only.
From Frame It All’s assembly instructions (PDF).
Questions about this bed
Does it have a bottom?
No. Frame It All’s beds are bottomless, it says, so roots grow on down into the ground below and water drains away. What to put in the bottom.
Can it stand on a patio or deck?
Yes: cut off the part of each stake that goes into the ground and the bed sits flat on a patio, driveway, deck or roof, Frame It All says. The roots can’t reach the ground there, so it suggests a deeper bed and a plan for the water that drains out. Before you fill it on a patio or deck.
Which soil figure is mine?
Count the levels, not the inches: one level is one 5.5-inch board, so the 11-inch bed is two levels and takes 14.66 cubic feet, 10 bags of 1.5 cubic feet. Read the one-level figure for an 11-inch bed and you buy half the soil you need, Frame It All warns.
Can I make it taller later?
Yes, even once it is filled: a new level of boards goes on top with stacking stakes and you top up the soil, Frame It All says. Each level adds 7.33 cubic feet to this 2 × 8, 5 bags. The 2-inch boards stack up to six levels, 33 inches, and the 1-inch boards up to four, 22 inches; the two take different brackets and can’t be mixed in one bed.
Can I make it longer later?
Yes: swing one side board out and add boards to lengthen it, Frame It All says.
Can it go straight onto lawn?
Yes: cover the grass with cardboard or several sheets of newspaper before filling and it dies off and rots down in place, Frame It All says. Running grasses such as Bermuda can push through one layer of cardboard, so where they grow, lift the turf or overlap several layers. Preparing the ground.
Does the ground need to be level?
Yes: level it first, Frame It All says. A bed out of level strains its joints, collects soil and water at the low end and sets stacked levels unevenly. On a slope, dig into the high side and fill the low side to make a level base.
What tools does it take?
A hammer: each bracket slides onto two board ends, locks with push-in plugs and is held by a stake driven through it, with no screws, drilling or measuring, Frame It All says. A rubber mallet is gentler on the boards.
Frame It All’s answers, from its questions page.
Prepare and assemble this bed
Compare the material, bottom and care choices if you are still deciding between families. Follow the site preparation and liner checklist for the supporting surface.
- Choose the exact configuration and lay out its parts. Check the required tools in the selected kit instructions.
- Prepare a stable, level position and confirm the outside footprint with working paths.
- Check corners, fasteners, protective edging and any layout-specific braces against the kit instructions before adding fill.
- Measure the finished inside and outside separately, then update your plan. Preserve the maker’s fill restrictions.
Mark the outside footprint on the ground before assembly, including any legs or protruding corners. Leave a route for carrying bags, reaching the plants and maintaining nearby beds.
This bed is open to the ground. Check the soil and drainage where it will sit before adding fill. Its wall height is not a prescription for how deep the growing mix should be.
Choose a reachable widthMeasure for a soil orderCompare the cost of building one
Product specifications
- Raised Garden Bed Soil Calculator, Frame It All
- Raised Garden Bed 2’ x 8’: assembly instructions, Frame It All
- Warranty terms, Frame It All
- Frequently Asked Questions: Gardening, Frame It All