Six raised beds in one weekend

Untreated hemlock, no power tools beyond a drill, and a Saturday-Sunday build that's held up for three seasons without warping.

The material

We use untreated hemlock over cedar. It's local, cheaper, and lasts long enough in raised-bed use that the price difference isn't worth chasing cedar's extra few years of life.

The layout

Six beds, four feet by eight feet, with eighteen-inch paths between them, wide enough for a wheelbarrow without wasting growing space.

What we'd change

We'd stagger the build over two weekends instead of one. Rushing the fill-and-level step on the last two beds left them slightly uneven, which shows up in uneven watering during dry stretches.