Raised beds
Raised beds built for Atlanta clay
A frame, a floor of cardboard, a deep fill of topsoil and compost, and a drip line. We build each bed level on your slope and size it to the sun and the hose you have.
What a bed includes
A level frame in cedar or galvanized steel
Cardboard and weed fabric under the frame
Topsoil and compost fill, by the cubic yard
A drip line on a timer
Mulch on the paths, plant labels and a care sheet
Choose your bed
Four ways to build one
Cedar frames
Cedar resists rot and weathers to a soft gray. Good for most yards and most budgets of patience.
Low or standard height
Corners screwed and braced
Galvanized steel
Clean lines and slim walls, so more of the bed is soil. A good fit for a modern house or a tight space.
Standard height
Rounded top edge
Tall beds
Built to garden standing up or from a seat, for backs and knees. They take more soil, and they warm and dry faster.
Waist height
Wide enough to reach across
Low beds for kids
A small bed at child height, with sanded edges and a square or two of their own to plant.
Low frame, smooth top
Easy plants: radishes, lettuce, beans
How pricing works
Every yard is different, so we write the number after we see it. This is what moves it.
What decides the price
Bed size and height, the frame material, how much soil it takes to fill, how far the crew carries it, and how close the hose is.
Cedar or galvanized steel frames
Low, standard or tall height
Cubic yards of soil to fill
Slope and access to the yard
Length of drip line
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
A written scope with a sketch, frame and soil specs, the drip layout, start and finish windows, and cleanup. Plants are listed by name and count on their own lines.
Not included: fences, decks, tree removal or permits for structures
What happens at the visit
Brianna walks the yard with you, checks the sun, measures, and asks what you want to grow. It takes about an hour. Your written estimate comes by email after the visit, and we tell you before we book it whether the visit has a charge.
Materials and who buys them
We buy the lumber or steel, soil, compost, drip parts and mulch. You choose the frame material and the plants, and any plant on the list can be swapped before the build.
How and when you pay
A deposit books the build and buys materials. The balance is due when the beds are planted and you've walked them. The invoice says which payment methods we take.
If the job changes
If you add a bed or change a size after the estimate, we write the change and its cost down, and you agree to it before we start.
Questions
About raised beds
How much sun does a vegetable bed need?
Six hours of direct sun is a good floor for tomatoes, peppers and squash. Leafy greens and herbs get by with less. We check the sun with you at the visit, hour by hour, before a bed goes in.
What about lead and old yard soil?
Older in-town yards can carry lead, especially near houses with old paint. A soil test through your county extension office tells you what is in the ground. A raised bed filled with bought soil keeps your plants' roots above the old soil, and we can lay cardboard and landscape fabric under the frame.
How deep should a bed be?
Most vegetables do well in a bed 12 inches deep, and 18 inches gives roots more room and keeps the soil from drying out as fast. Tomatoes and root crops like the extra depth.
What if it rains or freezes?
Wet clay is hard on a yard, so we move a build rather than tramp through mud. A freeze day moves planting, not building. We call or text you to set the new day.
Do I need to be home?
Not for the build, as long as we can reach the yard and the hose. We like you there for the first walk and the last one.
Ready to see where a bed could go?
Tell us about the yard, and we'll set up a time to walk it.