For a long 4 ft bed in three square sections

Frame It All GardenBLOX 4 × 12 ft Raised Bed

Name: Frame It All GardenBLOX 4 × 12 ft Raised Bed
Brand: Frame It All

A 4 × 12 ft composite bed that stacks from one to four levels. Each level adds 5.5 inches of height and 22 cubic feet of soil, by the maker’s figures.

4 sizes and layouts

Each size drawn from above at the same scale, with the maker’s listed capacity.

Listed capacity: 22 ft³
Soil to fill it: 15 bags of 1.5 ft³

Drawn from the maker’s published figures: the footprint from above on the left, the height on the right, in inches. Every bed on this site uses the same two scales.

Side view beside an adult 5 ft 6 in tall, at one scale.

For a long 4 ft bed in three square sections

From two levels up, two boards cross the bed and divide it into three 4 × 4 ft squares. At 4 ft wide it is at the limit Frame It All gives for a bed you reach from both sides, so leave a path along each long side. For four levels the product page prints 88.88 cubic feet; the soil calculator gives 88, four times the one-level 22: 59 bags, not 60.

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	144 × 48 × 5.5 in	22 ft³	15 bags	Plan this size: 1 level, 5.5 in tall
2 levels, 11 in tall	144 × 48 × 11 in	44 ft³	30 bags	Plan this size: 2 levels, 11 in tall
3 levels, 16.5 in tall	144 × 48 × 16.5 in	66 ft³	44 bags	Plan this size: 3 levels, 16.5 in tall
4 levels, 22 in tall	144 × 48 × 22 in	88 ft³	59 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

At four levels, 22 inches, the product page prints 88.88 cubic feet; Frame It All’s soil calculator gives 88, four times the one-level 22 that both give. The calculator’s figure is 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 2 × 8 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 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: 4 × 12 ft bed.

What comes in the box, for the 2-level bed, 11 inches tall

Parts

18 composite boards, 44.5 inches long: eight to a level and two across the middle
28 snap-lock stacking brackets and 8 four-way brackets for the boards across
16 stacking stakes
72 plugs to lock the brackets
8 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.
For three levels, 16.5 inches, the boards across go in the first and third levels, the manual says.
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).

Covers and animal fences that fit

Frame It All insect cover: Frame It All’s 4 × 4 ft cover, an A-frame of fine black mesh 64 inches tall. Joined in a row with the connectors in the box, covers fit a 4 × 12 bed, Frame It All says: three span this one. Every bed it fits.
Frame It All animal barrier: a 2 ft fence of rigid plastic mesh on stainless steel uprights, with a gate, that fixes into this bed’s stacking joints. Frame It All sells it in a 4 × 12 ft size; a second kit stacked on top makes a 4 ft fence. Every bed it fits.

Sold separately; each fit is as Frame It All states it on the product’s own page. Every cover, trellis and fence we list.

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 44 cubic feet, 30 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 22 cubic feet to this 4 × 12, 15 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 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 width Measure for a soil order Compare the cost of building one

Product specifications

Raised Garden Bed Soil Calculator, Frame It All
Raised Garden Bed 4’ x 12’: assembly instructions, Frame It All
Warranty terms, Frame It All
Frequently Asked Questions: Gardening, Frame It All
Insect Cover For 4' x 4' Raised Bed - Vegetable Pest & Bird Barrier Netting, Frame It All
Stack & Extend 'Animal Barrier' with Gate - 4 Foot Wide Straight Panels, Frame It All