Garden Bed Design Plans

Interpretive sign of the Kitchen Garden Space at the Life Lab Garden Classroom on the UCSC Farm.

Download our Garden Bed Design Guide* which features many of the garden beds featured in the image above.

*Since the time we created the Garden Bed Design Guide we have preferred building wooden beds with these types of structural screw fasteners in place of carriage bolts and nuts that are mentioned in the guide. We still pre-drill a pilot hole when using the screw fasteners. The screw fasteners save time and money.

In California we often use rough cut redwood lumber as it is a locally sourced rot resistant wood. It is costly, but it can last for up to 20+ years. We do not suggest using pressure treated lumber to build garden boxes for edible crops due to the toxicity of the chemicals used in the treatment process.

If you are building new beds or buying compost, here are Garden Bed Soil Calculators to estimate the quantity of materials to order.

https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/soil-calculator/7558.html

https://www.soilbuildingsystems.com/tools/cubicyardtoheight

https://www.soildirect.com/calculator/cubic-yard-calculator/