Wrapping Gifts Built From the Scrap Pile: Planter Boxes, Seed Bundles and Other Awkward Shapes
Every December the raised-bed offcuts become planter boxes and seed trays for friends. Building them is the easy part. How I wrap heavy, dusty,…
Weekend Builds
Did the New Drill Actually Change Anything
After years of getting by with an old corded drill, I finally bought a cordless one for these weekend projects. Here is an honest…
The Potting Bench I Built From Whatever Was Left Over
I put together a potting bench out of leftover boards from three years of projects, including one crooked cut and a batch of screws…
The Trellis That Wouldn’t Stand Up Straight
I added a small trellis to one raised bed for the vining plants and spent more time fighting its lean than I expected. Here…
What I’d Actually Buy If I Built These Beds Again
Six years in, our raised beds have taught me more about wood choice than any buying guide did. Here is what warped, what rotted,…
The Bench Ledge I Built and Then Regretted
I added a simple wooden seat along the side of one raised bed thinking I'd use it constantly. Here is why it turned out…
The Saturday I Finally Built the Fourth Bed
A first hand account of the Saturday I built our fourth raised bed, including the corner I cut twice, the digging I underestimated, and…