Pros:
Less time on my knees working in the garden
Brand new dirt and almost non-existent weed issue
I don't have to fence around it
Keeps out some animals
I'll never revisit the snake issue of 2014
Contained (because you know a garden "grows" bigger every year
Cons:
Cost
Manual labor
Limited to just that area (I will be starting square foot gardening but this is a pro)
Basic Planter:
It was around $100 for the raised planter. I like the look of thick, wide, beautiful wood (tmi?) and because of this, I needed 2 16' boards cut in half (thank you Lowes) and 1 16' board cut in 3' (you'll only need 4. All wood used should be untreated to avoid the chemicals of pressure treated wood. You'll also need 2 4x4 posts cut. Each post can be cut to 2, 3' sections and you'll have 2' left over. (I did not do this but am explaining the way I would've done it because hind sight is always 20/20(ish...))
You'll need weed mat, stone and dirt. Oh, and a staple gun and 2.5" and 1.5" decking screws too...
With green house option:
If you want to "green house" your bed, you'll need 3 skinny PVC pipes and 1 PVC pipe that the skinnies will fit into. You'll also need to grab 6 metal brackets to screw the bigger (and cut) pipe into the wood. Those will be the 1" screws.
You'll need a orbital sander (and sand paper discs) and a bore bit for your drill (bore bit for greenhouse and soaker hose option only.)
I can put plastic around the pipes to "greenhouse" the planter and when danger of frost is gone, I can use a net if I'd like to keep things out. I can also use the pre-drilled (drilled by yours truly) holes for something like a trellis to grow vertically.
Low maintenance:
If you want the low maintenance, weed free option, grab some weed mat, pins and soaker hose.
Pick up some stain of your choice too! I used Minwax Americn walnut and Kona. A foam brush, an old rag and some gloves are needed too.
What I did:
First I screwed the the long boards on to the bottom of each 3' post on each side but 2" past the post (see photo.) I did this on my driveway because it's decently even. You should know that you'll have excess post because you're actually assembling it upside down. Once the first two long boards (one on each side) are secured, I placed the 3' boards in the appropriate place and screwed them in too.
Repeat for the next "layer."
Here's where I tell you what I would've done... Those 2' posts? Drill those in the middle of what will be the bottom board so it too sticks up in the air like the posts on each corner. Here's why: the stone and the dirt are a bit much for the bottom board. Though mine still "works," I would do this to increase longevity of the planter. (See photo below of bottom board bowing out and why I recommend more support.) You should have 6 posts. The corners are attached to both layers and the middle are only attached to the bottom...which is on top right now (we are building this upside down, remember!).
See?...(don't worry. The dirt is from the pile next to it, not from inside the planter)
Dig a hole for each post about one foot deep.
Flip planter over with the help of a friend (the husband helped with this) and put each leg in you're awesome, perfectly measured holes. <insert sarcastic tone here> We dug a few times to make sure our planter was level...and because we may have just "eyeballed it" with the hole distance. Then, the husband dug them...again (bless his heart) because it wasn't in line with the driveway (we all have our quirks... :))
Sand your planter!!
Rinse your planter!!
Stain your planter! I used gloves, and a foam brush and an old rag. To get my look, I used the foam brush to put the walnut stain on, then rubbed it off. Then, I used the foam brush to put the Kona on the edges only and when I wiped it off, I rubbed it in the whole board.
Weed mat was stapled on the inside of the planter to prevent erosion out of the sides.
Fill 6" with 2B stone or whatever you have on hand for drainage.
Fill remainder with topsoil/compost mix.
With greenhouse option:
Cut larger PVC pipe into 6 pieces. Screw these in symmetry with 1.5" screws near the posts as shown:
The longer and thinner poles will fit in these!
I didn't stain the top because I wanted a more finished look. You can do the same. If that floats your boat, keep reading..
Additional materials were purchased (because I kept developing this idea as I built...):
1 16' board cut in half. These were 6" wide by 2" thick.
1 8" board cut in two (2) 3' 4" pieces. (You'll have leftover)
These were cut by Lowes...thanks again!
The underside was stain in straight Kona stain and the tops and sides were stained as the rest of the planter. This was of course after mitering the corners at 45° angles and drilling (with a bore bit) holes corresponding with the PVC pipes. Then attach with 2.5" screws.
Low Maintenance Option:
Snake a 25" soaker hose and use pins (weed mat or garden pins work ::see photo - one on the ledge::). The bore bit was used to place a hole in the upper side of the planter nearest the hose spigot to connect without issue. It looks built in! Spiffy!
Then, place weed mat over the top and pin! The weed mat will be keeping out weeds and attracting heat and keeping heat in which will hopefully extend our growing season!
To plant, use a blade to cut an "X" where you'll be planting and plant!
I'll come back to this in later posts. Because this was completed a bit late in the season, we purchased plants rather than grow from seed but will grow from seed in our spiffy "greenhouse" next year! It should save us some $$!
I'll be updating again to show the weed mat and planting in square foot gardening manner on a later post. Tomorrow I'll be planting my decorative planters up front!
Don't know what a soaker hose is? YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I was in your shoes just a few short years ago. Quick story: Early on in my gardening, I needed a hose and grabbed the cheapest sold! Come on, it only moves water from one place to another and they all leak from the connections...all of them. This fancy-shmancy hose I bought leaked alright...everywhere! I mean the whole thing. Totally in shock, my 80 year old neighbor (with way more energy than I've ever seen in a human being, and also gardening at the time) came over and said she's never seen such a thing before in all, her years! So, thinking it was dry rotted, I returned it and settled for a smooth, more expensive hose. ::Deep breath:: I was a fool! It totally did what it was supposed to! You literally lay it on the ground and connect it to your water supply (regular hose) and turn it on. Yes. Turn it on. You can then walk away and to other things like wonder why you ever stood at a garden for sooooo long trying to water just the base of the plant. But, don't forget to shut it off! It actually saves water (if you don't forget to shut it off). This is what it looks like up close while on: 
It's a beautiful thing!
- Valerie
5/23 Update:
http://thewildflowerwife.blogspot.com/2015/05/raised-bed-planter-update.html
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