Raised garden beds boost vegetables above potentially waterlogged grounds. Not every gardener deals with a high water table, but there are other good reasons to plant in raised beds:

• They are easier to keep free of encroaching grass than ground-level beds.
• Elevated soil warms earlier in spring and drains more quickly after a rain.
• Soil doesn’t become compacted because you don’t step on the growing area.
• Raised beds offer easier access for planting, thinning, weeding, and harvest.

This bed can be constructed of leftover lumber of almost any dimension, so long as the wood is untreated. Hold the planks on edge with short lengths of rebar pounded into the ground every 2 or 3 feet.

To build a 4-foot by 8-foot bed, you’ll need two 2-by-12 planks 8 feet long, two 2-by-12 planks 4 feet long, and 12 pieces of rebar, each 24 inches long.

Learn More: Check out our step-by-step guide to building a raised bed from lumber planks.