Lately I’ve been spending most of my crafty time working on the beautification of my outdoors space. I want to have a peaceful oasis, but I also want it to be functional, oh, and cheap. One of the things that has been super important to me this year is growing food. We actually sit on an acre of land here, but it’s mostly wooded and heavily shaded. We are slowly working to clear some space for the grand garden of our dreams, but until that happens I am making the best of what I have. This year my garden consists of two raised beds and a multitude of pots. I am currently growing four types of tomatoes, three types of peppers, squash, cucumbers and watermelon along with basil, chocolate mint, lavender, chives and oregano. I had daydreamed for a while about a garden full of gorgeous raised cedar beds, but the cost seemed very prohibitive and the skill to build them out of my range. Enter Ana White. If you aren’t familiar with this amazing lady’s website you are missing out. She provides plans for a multitude of awesome wood projects that even the most beginner amongst us can accomplish. The best part is her projects are always very cost efficient. When I found her “10 Dollar Raised Beds Plans” I about freaked out. The plans looked easy and best of all she claims it only cost $10 dollars to build one. Sold. So I convinced my husband to help me buy the needed lumber and set to work over the weekend. I did need help with these, because I am terrified of saws but after the cuts it’s pretty straight forward putting them together. As far as cost goes, mine cost about 12 dollars each for the lumber, but I had to spend an additional 8 for screws, so if you don’t have the right size screws on hand, they quickly bump up the price of your project. She also claims that it took about 20 minutes to build. Uh, mine took about 6 hours, with help from the husband. Maybe I am pathetically slow. Anyway, it’s a great easy project that any beginner can do and budget friendly. I am super happy with the results and my cute little beds. I can’t wait to try out some of her other free plans.
Kim