Raised Bed Cost Calculator

This raised bed cost calculator adds up what it costs to build and fill your beds. Choose whether you are building from lumber or buying kits, then enter the number of beds, their size, the board size and how many boards high, your lumber price, and your soil price. The calculator works out the linear feet of lumber and approximate number of 8-foot boards, the soil volume with a settling allowance, and the total and per-bed cost. It makes the biggest hidden cost of raised beds visible: the soil, which often costs as much as the frames or more.

How to use the raised bed cost calculator

1. Choose build or buy. Building from lumber is usually cheapest. Kits save time and are often more durable, especially metal kits.
2. Enter the number of beds and their size in feet.
3. For lumber beds, choose the board size and how many boards high. Two 2×6 boards stacked make a bed about 11 inches tall. One 2×12 does the same with fewer joints.
4. Enter your lumber price per linear foot. Divide the price of a board by its length. An 8-foot board priced at $12 is $1.50 per linear foot.
5. Enter your soil price and delivery fee. The raised bed soil calculator gives a detailed breakdown of the mix if you are blending your own.
6. Add liners or hardware cloth if you need them. Many gardeners skip these. In areas with gophers or voles, hardware cloth across the bottom is worth it.

How the cost is calculated

Lumber (linear ft) = 2 × (length + width) × boards high × beds
Soil (cu ft) = length × width × height ÷ 12 × 1.15 × beds
Total = lumber × price + hardware + soil + delivery + liners

The 15 percent added to the soil covers settling, because loose soil sinks noticeably in a new bed. Our article on why raised bed soil sinks explains why.

Worked example: two 4 by 8 beds

Two 4-by-8-foot beds, each built from two courses of 2×6 lumber, are about 11 inches tall. Each course is 24 feet of board around the perimeter, so each bed needs 48 linear feet and two beds need 96. That works out to about twelve 8-foot boards: each course uses one full board for each long side and one board cut in half for the two ends. At $1.50 per linear foot, the lumber costs $144. Add $15 per bed for screws and corner posts, and the frames come to $174.

Each bed holds about 29 cubic feet of soil, or about 34 with settling, so the two beds need about 2.5 cubic yards. At $50 per yard plus a $75 delivery fee, the soil costs about $200. The total is about $374, or $187 per bed. Notice that the soil costs more than the lumber.

How bed height changes the cost

Taller beds cost more twice over: more lumber, and much more soil. Soil volume grows in direct proportion to height, so a bed twice as tall needs twice the soil.

For most vegetables, a bed about 11 to 12 inches tall placed on loosened ground is plenty, because deeper roots can grow down into the soil beneath. Taller beds make sense for accessibility, for poor or contaminated ground, or for gardeners who find bending difficult. If you build tall, filling the bottom with logs, branches and leaves can cut the soil bill considerably.

Choosing bed materials

Untreated pine, fir or spruce

The cheapest option and the easiest to find. Untreated softwood beds can last several years, depending on your climate and how wet the soil stays, before the boards rot and need replacing. Thicker boards last longer than thin ones.

Cedar and redwood

The heartwood of cedar and redwood resists rot naturally, so beds often last considerably longer than untreated pine. They are also attractive and pleasant to work with. The tradeoff is price: they commonly cost two to three times as much as pine, sometimes more, depending on region and grade.

Pressure-treated lumber

Older pressure-treated wood used chromated copper arsenate (CCA), which was phased out for most residential uses in the US by the end of 2003 because of concerns about arsenic. Modern residential treated lumber uses copper-based preservatives instead. Many gardeners use it for raised beds, sometimes with a plastic liner between the wood and the soil, while others prefer to avoid any treated wood around food crops. Organic certification programs generally do not allow treated lumber in contact with soil. If you are unsure, untreated or naturally rot-resistant wood avoids the question.

Metal kits

Galvanized or coated steel beds are durable, quick to assemble, and available in tall sizes. They are often priced similarly to cedar beds of the same size, and they do not rot. Look for rolled or covered top edges, which are safer and more comfortable to lean on.

Composite and other materials

Composite boards made from wood fibers and plastic resist rot and need no maintenance, but usually cost more than wood. Stone, brick and concrete block make permanent beds, but are heavy and take more work to build.

Ways to cut the cost of raised beds

• Build shallower beds on loosened ground. An 11-inch bed on dug soil costs much less than a 22-inch bed, and grows nearly everything.
• Buy soil in bulk. Once you need more than about a cubic yard, bulk soil is usually far cheaper than bags. Split a delivery with a neighbor.
• Use filler in tall beds. Untreated logs, branches and leaves in the bottom third can cut soil costs substantially.
• Use 2×12 boards instead of stacked 2×6s where prices allow. Fewer joints mean fewer corner posts and screws.
• Design around board lengths. A 4-by-8 bed uses 8-foot boards with almost no waste. Odd sizes can leave expensive offcuts.
• Skip unnecessary extras. Weed fabric under beds is rarely needed. A layer of plain cardboard smothers grass just as well and breaks down.

Hardware and extras

• Corner posts: short 2×2 or 4×4 posts inside each corner make beds much stronger, especially beds two or more boards high.
• Screws: use exterior-rated deck screws. Nails loosen as wood expands and contracts.
• Mid-span braces: long beds, especially 12 feet or more, can bow outward under the weight of wet soil. A brace across the middle prevents it.
• Hardware cloth: galvanized wire mesh stapled across the bottom keeps out gophers, moles and voles.
• Liners: some gardeners line the inside walls with plastic sheeting to protect wood, though liners can trap moisture against the boards.

Building a basic 4 by 8 bed

1. Cut the boards. For each course, you need two 8-foot sides and two ends just under 4 feet, allowing for the thickness of the side boards.
2. Prepare corner posts as tall as the finished bed.
3. Assemble one long side by screwing boards to two corner posts, then the other side.
4. Add the end boards to complete the box, checking corners are square by measuring both diagonals. They should match.
5. Level the site, set the frame in place, and loosen the soil inside with a fork.
6. Add cardboard over grass, then fill with soil in layers, watering each layer.

Budgeting the whole garden

Beds and soil are usually the biggest part of a new garden’s cost, but not the only part. Plants, seeds, compost, mulch, a watering setup and basic tools all add up. The garden cost calculator totals everything in one place, and the vegetable garden cost calculator estimates what the garden costs to run each season after the beds are built.

Cost per square foot of growing space

Comparing beds by total price can be misleading, because bed sizes vary. Dividing the total cost by the growing area gives a fairer comparison. In the worked example above, two 4-by-8 beds totaling about $374 provide 64 square feet of growing space, or roughly $5.80 per square foot. A taller bed of the same footprint costs more per square foot, because it needs more lumber and soil without adding any planting area. A wider bed adds planting area for relatively little extra lumber, but beds wider than about 4 feet are hard to reach across without stepping in.

This is one reason the 4-by-8 bed is so popular. It uses standard 8-foot boards with almost no waste, it can be reached from both sides, and it gives a good ratio of growing space to materials.

Comparing materials over time

Upfront cost is only part of the picture. A bed that costs less but needs replacing sooner can cost more in the long run. To compare fairly, divide each option’s cost by its expected lifespan in your climate. An untreated pine bed that lasts a handful of years, a cedar bed that lasts considerably longer, and a metal kit that lasts longer still can end up much closer in yearly cost than their price tags suggest. Remember that the soil is a one-time purchase whichever frame you choose, and can be reused when a frame is replaced.

Accessible and elevated beds

Raised beds can make gardening much easier for people who find bending or kneeling difficult. Beds around 24 to 30 inches tall can be worked from a standing position or a seat on the edge. Elevated planters on legs, sometimes called table beds, can be worked from a wheelchair, with knee space underneath. These designs cost more per square foot, either because tall beds need a lot of soil, or because elevated planters need a strong frame, but they can make gardening possible and comfortable for years. Keep tall beds narrow enough to reach the center, often about 2 to 3 feet wide, and leave paths wide enough for a walker or wheelchair to turn.

Planning a set of beds

If you plan to build several beds over time, a little planning now keeps costs down later. Use the same bed size throughout, so lumber can be bought in efficient lengths and soil orders scale simply. Leave paths at least 18 to 24 inches wide between beds, with one wider path of about 3 feet for a wheelbarrow. Order soil for all the beds you are building in one delivery, because delivery fees are often the same for a small load and a larger one. And build the first beds closest to your water supply and the house, where they are easiest to tend. The garden size calculator helps you see how many beds and paths fit in your space.

Frequently asked questions