Merbau raised garden bed

[diy_hausdesigns]

A stylish planter built using Pine sleepers and cladded with Merbau.

• The project
• More planter projects

The project

Finally got to put together this garden bed using Sienna H4 Micropro Pine sleepers and Merbau. Very happy with the end product.

I'm planning on planting some weather-friendly herbs. I used to use small pots so it'll be nice to have this for a change. 

It cost about $200 for the following:

• 4 x 3m sleepers (cut to 4 x 1800mm and four x 400mm)

• 7 x 1800mm (70x19mm)

• 5 x 1200mm (70x19mm)

More planter projects

Rufaro also created a beautiful bench seat with a built-in planter box.

Find more ideas for your next gardening project in our Top 10 most popular raised garden beds.

[saidandem]

Thanks for sharing. This is exactly (or atleast 95% of ) what I am planning to do this summer :). This post really helped me to have some basic idea of how and where to start with. The other 5% of my planning is to include LED strip lights over the top edge. Some like in the below image.

I highly appreciate any tips regarding this. Thanks

[EricL]

Hello @saidandem

Thanks for sharing your proposed project for summer. My best advice for your project is to make sure that the LED lighting system your using is rated for outside use. I suggest having a look at Lytworx 5m Smart Light Strip and seeing if it is suitable for your needs. As the seasons pass the adhesive on the LED strip sometimes fails. I recommend using DETA 10mm White Flat Cable Clips - 20pk to hold the strip in place. My only other advice is to make sure that your powerpoint is covered from the weather and is rated for outdoor use.

Let me tag our experienced members @TedBear and @r23on for their recommendations.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to the start of your build.

Eric

[r23on]

My suggestion to ensure you check the IP rating when you chase down the LED lighting strips, ensure a rating of IP67 or higher and the same should apply to the power point Or have the entire system driven by solar.

[KatieC]

This is a really great project @diy_hausdesigns ! The garden bed really pops against your fence too!

@saidandem that is an awesome inspo picture, looking forward to seeing your final product  

[saidandem]

@EricLand @r23on Thanks for your valuable inputs. Can't wait for the lockdown to be finished and visit a store to browse (in person) the materials  (for preparation

[Kash86]

Hi @diy_hausdesigns,

Saw a couple of your projects as I am looking to do some DIY myself. I am very new to DIY and so want to know details of materials and tools needed. I was able to find the pine and merbau as mentioned above, but I want to know more about tools and other stuff you use. Do you use nail gun or screws to assemble it together?

Thanks

[EricL]

Hello @Kash86

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about what tools are necessary to assemble the raised garden bed.

Let me tag @diy_hausdesigns to make him aware of your question. Looking carefully at the raised garden bed, this can easily be assembled using basic tools. I've made a list below of the possible things you'll need to put this together.

• Circular Saw or a Hand Saw
• Cordless Drill
• Tape Measure
• Craftright 300mm Combination Square
• Timber Drill Bit
• Staedtler Medium Carpenters Pencil

In regards to the screws to be used on the timber. The thing to keep in mind is that the length of the screw will be based on the thickness of the timber. A thicker gauge will always provide more support. Make sure that the screws you choose are rated for outside use or "coated". 

If you need more advice or information, please let us know.

Eric

[Kash86]

@EricL Thank you for the list. I was able to learn from here and make 3 raised garden beds. I am looking at different other projects as well for my garden. I had hired a professional to do the job, but he started the job, got sick, came back and said spent lot of money on treatments, took some more money and did a bit of work and now says he quoted less and can't do the job anymore. Been a year already since he started the work. So I decided to learn from here and Bunnings videos and do it myself. I really appreciate your responses, help and guidance.

[EricL]

Hello @Kash86

Thank you so much for the update, I'm glad I was able to provide you with information that helped with your project. Would it be possible for you to post a photo of your raised garden bed? I'm sure our members would be keen to see your build. It's fantastic that you've gained the knowledge and confidence to do the raised garden. If you have any other projects on the go, please don't hesitate to share them.

I look forward to seeing your next project.

Eric

[mann]

Hi @EricL 

Thanks for providing the list of things that is needed to make garden bed ..I am new to DIY and really keen to make one for my backyard..I can see some brackets ( silver coloured) being used inside the garden bed in the picture..may I know what are those?

Thanks 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @mann,

My best guess would be Carinya Heavy Duty 75 x 75 x 40 x 3.5mm Zinc Plated Angle Brackets and Carinya 190 x 40 x 3.5mm Zinc Plated Mending Plates. If they are not the exact products, they're interchangeable. I'm sure @diy_hausdesigns will let us know if they were different.

Keep us updated on your project, and please let us know if you need further assistance or have more questions.

Mitchell

[Cham12]

Thanks for sharing Merbau garden bed project will be using this project as our inspo

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Cham12. It's sensational to have you join us, and fantastic to see you've been inspired by this project.

Let me tag @diy_hausdesigns so they are notified of your comment.

Give us a shout when it comes time to build your version, as our helpful members will be more than happy to provide guidance and assistance with any questions you have.

We can't wait to see what project you tackle next.

Mitchell