Elevated Garden Box for Kids

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We have entered into a very fun milestone with our oldest.  Both our boys have always had a love of books, and that love has rolled right over into reading. It is super fun to be read too and watch him curl up next to his little brother and share a story.

While the standard fiction books do line their bookshelves it never surprises me how much they enjoy non-fiction. Pair that with a digital and interactive book and they are completely captivated.  Around this time of year we are reading a lot about gardening and food. The whole from seed to plant idea in preparation of our summer crops.

And just in time for Earth Day there is a brand new series for kids, written by Maria Snyder. The Eco Boys and Girls line of books infuse math, science, and engineering topics into an environmentally focused theme.  These animated, read-aloud books are geared towards Pre-K to Third Grade. The five animated Eco Boys and Girls: Ernie Earth, Lulu Love, Patsy Peace, Ray Recycle, and Sammy Sun dance across the screen as your child reads along. In my sons own words, “The books are about how to keep Earth a better place”.

That right there is a glowing reference from my son.  The goal of the series is to encourage families to explore and learn about the environment.  Through the interactive series Eco Boys and Girls hopes to inspire kids to connect to the Earth and each other, while learning to become better citizens and live more environmentally conscious lives.  Two of the stories centered on gardening really resonated with our family: Eco Boys and Girls Go To an Organic Farm and Eco Boys and Girls Plant an Urban Garden.

Elevated garden boxes are perfect for getting the kids involved.  Built just at their height they can help with the planting, watering, and harvesting.

The following directions will give you a final box size of 30″ x 31 1/2″.  We used reclaimed wood for the sides of our elevated garden box.

Materials:
Three 1″ x 4 1/2″ x 12′ cedar boards
One 1″ x 4 1/2″ x 8′ cedar boards
One 7/8″ x 1″ x 5′ trim piece
One 3.5″ x 3.5″ x 8′ cedar post
box of 1 1/2″ wood screws
drill and drill bit
cocoa liner, burlap, or landscape fabric.
Organic garden mix for raised beds

Cut your wood or have them cut at your local hardware store to the following lengths.  I find a workbench works great for assembly.  It keeps wood stable when pre drilling and attaching the first few boards.  Some of the boards I had to cut myself because they were too small to have cut at the store.  The workbench was quite handy for this.

• 8-1″ x 4 1/2″ at 30″
• 2- 7/8″ trim at 23″
• 4- 3.5″ x 3.5″ at 23″
• 2- 1″ x 4 1/2″ at 23″
• 6- 1″ x 4 1/2″ at 30″

Pre-drill two holes into each end of the 8- 1″ x 4 1/2″ boards.  Holes should be spaced one inch apart and one inch from the edge, centered on the width of the board.

Using the 1 1/2″ wood screws attach one of the pre-drilled boards to a cedar post.  Make sure the top of the board is squared with the top of the post.  Do this again, attaching the opposite end of the board to another cedar post.  Attach another pre-drilled board just below the first one.  You should have a “n” shape now.  Do these steps one more time.

Now it’s time to attach the pieces all together to make the frame of the garden box.

Place one of the pre-drilled boards on the cedar post adjacent to the other attached boards. Remember to keep the top of the board flush with the top of the post.

Attach the board with wood screws to the post.  Move to the other side of the board and attach to the second set of posts.  Continue with the remaining 3 pre drilled boards.

Moving on to the trim, pre-drill holes 1 inch apart starting at 1 inch from the edge.

Screw the trim pieces along the inside, bottom of the sides to form a lip.

This will act as a support for the bottom of the garden box.  The small trim pieces will be attached to the inside of each leg.  The long pieces will be attached to  two of the sides.  Make sure you attach the trim to the same sides of the side and leg posts as pictured.

Lay the remaining 1″ x 4 1/2″ pieces inside to create the floor of the garden box.

Place your liner of choice inside the box lining the bottom and sides.  This will provide a nice barrier to make the wood last longer and prevent soil from falling through the small cracks in the base.

Fill box with approximately 1.5 cubic feet of Organic raised bed garden mix.  Select an Organic garden mix as it is safer for the environment and for consumption.

The elimination of pesticides and chemical fertilizer doesn’t mean an unhealthy crop.  In fact this allows you to monitor the soil and use natural pesticides through companion planting.  There is no denying the difference in flavor of a crop grown organically.

The Eco Boys and Girls series can be purchased exclusively on iBooks now by searching eco boys and girls.  There are a total of 6 books in the series ($5.99 per book), all with the same theme of teaching kids to interact with each other and care for the environment.

Eco Boys and Girls is an educational organization creating engaging books and other learning materials to reach young audiences. In addition to these fabulous interactive books Eco Boys and Girls have worked to provide global partner organizations STEM products, UN Sustainable Development Goals, Peace & Justice curricula and programs.  Download your copy of the 5 Eco Boys and Girls books to share with your family today.

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