Building a Box Garden

You don't have to have a large yard to raise a vegetable or flower garden. In fact, even if you live in an apartment or a small rooming house, you can build a garden box in which to raise vegetables and flowers. Whether you want to raise tomatoes and carrots, or roses and marigolds, all you need is a container, sunlight, dirt, water, and seedlings. Follow these simple guidelines to guild a garden box in your space:

The materials you'll need to build a garden box are simple and include nails, a hammer, plywood, four wood planks, caulk, paint, gravel, potting soil or dirt, and seedlings. Once you have your materials, follow these steps to assemble your box garden:

1. Nail the wood plank to the plywood, where the plywood creates the bottom of the box garden, and the wood plank serves as the sides. Choose wood plank sizes depending on how large or small you want the box garden. For instance, if you want a 4-foot by 4-foot box garden, choose 2x4 wood planks in 4-foot sections to nail to the plywood flooring.
2. Once you've nailed the plank to the plywood, caulk around the seams where the plank sides meet the plywood flooring.
3. Paint the entire box—inside and out—and allow it to dry. Ensure that the box is painted entirely to guard against moisture which can cause raw rood to rot or warp.
4. Situate your box garden where you want it. Once you've filled it with dirt, you won't be able to move it, so make sure that you've found a suitable place that has plenty of sunlight or overhead lighting.
5. Once the box is completely dry, place a thin layer of gravel in the bottom of the box, and then fill the entire box with potting soil or dirt. Optimally, you should have six inches of dirt in which to plant your seeds or seedlings.
6. Plant your seeds or seedlings according to the package directions, allowing plenty of room between them to encourage the plants to grow to their full size.

Depending on the type of plants you grow in your box garden, water and nurture them according to the directions on the seedlings or packet of seeds. Keep in mind that your box garden does not have drainage that an in-ground garden plot has, so avoid over watering. The gravel in the bottom of the box garden will help with drainage to a certain extent. Even if you do have a large home with plenty of space for a garden, you can add box gardens to your deck or patio, and even build window boxes to raise flowers and vegetables. Adding box gardens to your landscape creates a focal point of color, making otherwise boring areas full of color and life.