May we count your visit with Google Analytics? It uses cookies and sends visit data to Google. You can change this any time under Cookie choices. Privacy

The Well Kept Garden

Menu

For an open-bottom cedar bed in the common sizes

Greenes Fence Classic Cedar Raised Beds

Untreated cedar beds with 1/2-inch boards and dovetail joints, open at the bottom, in six sizes from 2 × 4 to 4 × 8 ft, 10.5 to 17.5 inches tall.

6 sizes and layouts

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

Listed capacity
7 ft³
Soil to fill it
5 bags of 1.5 ft³
Drawn to scale from the maker’s figures: 48 in by 24 in, 10.5 in tall.12243610.5 in48 in × 24 in
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: 10.5 in tall, beside a 5 ft 6 in adult. It comes to below the knee.10.5 in tall48 in long · comes to below the knee
Side view beside an adult 5 ft 6 in tall, at one scale.

For an open-bottom cedar bed in the common sizes

These are the same sizes and stated capacities as Greenes’ premium cedar beds, in 1/2-inch boards instead of 3/4-inch. Each capacity is the size the bed is sold by times its wall height, the box filled to the brim: the 4 × 8 ft bed takes 19 bags of 1.5 ft³ at 10.5 inches and 32 at 17.5 inches. Measure the inside after assembly.

Style
Open-bottom bed
Material
Untreated American cedar, 1/2-inch boards
Warranty
None stated on the maker’s page
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.

Greenes Fence 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 layoutAdvertised sizeListed capacityBags of 1.5 ft³ for that capacity
2 × 4 ft, 10.5 in tall48 × 24 × 10.5 in7 ft³5 bagsPlan
2 × 8 ft, 10.5 in tall96 × 24 × 10.5 in14 ft³10 bagsPlan
4 × 4 ft, 10.5 in tall48 × 48 × 10.5 in14 ft³10 bagsPlan
4 × 8 ft, 10.5 in tall96 × 48 × 10.5 in28 ft³19 bagsPlan
4 × 8 ft, 14 in tall96 × 48 × 14 in37.3 ft³25 bagsPlan
4 × 8 ft, 17.5 in tall96 × 48 × 17.5 in46.7 ft³32 bagsPlan

Notes on these sizes

  • 4 × 8 ft, 17.5 in tall: The 46.7 cubic feet used here is 4 × 8 ft × 17.5 in, as in Greenes’ description.

Where the maker’s figures disagree

  • 4 × 8 ft × 17.5 in: the description says 46.7 cubic feet, the details table 47.6.

Measure the inside of the assembled bed before ordering soil.

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 × 4 ft bed · 2 × 8 ft bed · 4 × 4 ft bed · 4 × 8 ft bed.

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.

  1. Choose the exact configuration and lay out its parts. Check the required tools in the selected kit instructions.
  2. Prepare a stable, level position and confirm the outside footprint with working paths.
  3. Check corners, fasteners, protective edging and any layout-specific braces against the kit instructions before adding fill.
  4. 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