This has been a project I've wanted to do for awhile now. Just never got high on the to do list. But finally, I've built up enough compost soil that I either had to waste it spreading it around the lawn, or finally buy the raised beds.
I had thought about building my own raised beds using mortised and tenoned pressure treated 2x4's with azek/pvc plywood for panels , but the metal raised beds were cheaper and shipped direct from Home Depot (Better Choice brand raised planter beds). I plan on painting them, so they'll better match the house color's green
I made a base for each one using pressure treated 2x4's and half inch mesh to keep critters from digging up underneath. The bases are a little wider than necessary so I could add a raised lip perimeter around the planters, just to help stop spreading if the metal braces inside each bed fail in the future. Just had to level the bases and then put the beds on them. The cardboard is just to stop stuff from growing up from underneath.
I have a brush pile behind my backyard fence , so i dragged up debris to help fill each planter. I only want to have to add 6-8 inches of loam/soil to the top of each. I also have an old Troy Bilt lawn and leaf vacuum, that shreds the leaves nicely, so i'm filling with that stuff too. My neighbors are happy because I needed extra this year, so I shredded up a lot of their leaves too this year. I needed fill and they didnt have to bag or rake as much. Win Win
In the Spring, I'll top each planter off with shredded leaves that haven't started composting much yet, then with the soil in the compost crates (right-hand side of first pic above), I'll top off each planter and move the compost bins back to the back yard.
I think I want to get one of these water totes from Boston (there's a place that sells reconditioned ones) and plop it where the compost bins are now. I'll divert the downspout into it, and use the water from it to keep the plants happy and hydrated.
I'm going to plant a variety of herbs, veggies, and flowers. Also that downspout leaves a bunch of water right by where you come into the house, so it'll be good to keep the walkway in front of the house dry. Another win win. I'll just have to figure out how to attach some flower boxes to the side facing the street so it's less fugly.